Spirited Away:A New Beginning
by Genie2130
Summary: Three years pass and when tragic events occur,Chihiro goes to the spirit world to complete a promise and to make a new beginning. Along the way,she meets new friends and foes while learning that life can give you another chance.
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1:Lost and Discovered

Chihiro had heard that her parents had persished in a local fire. At age 13,she needed a legal guardian to take care of her. The only one available was Aunt De-Vil, and since the name described her perfectly,Chihiro's only option was to run.

In reality,Chihiro didn't really care that her parents died. After the move and the four day stay in the spirit world,Chihiro's parents had blamed her for everything. They even had the nerve to confront Chihiro about being adopted. They had given proof to her a few days before their death. And in a few days, it will soon be Chihiro's 14th birthday. What perfect timing,because now,Chihiro was packing a bag with a sketchpad and art supplies,with only one destination in mind.

A door slammed and Chihiro looked up in alarm. Quickly tying her hair with the hair tie Zeniba gave her,Chihiro slings the bag across one shoulder,opens the nearest window,and jumps. Landing perfectly in a feline position,Chihiro brushes imaginary dust off of her,and starts walking. However,after turning around for a minute and glaring at the blue house that she used to call "home," she breaks off in a run,towards the spirit world.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2:Memories and Promises

After a full thirty minutes,Chihiro stops to catch her breath. However,she puts on a tiny smile when she sees a familiar tunnel before her. She quickly walks in.

At the end of the tunnel,Chihiro sees that nothing has changed. She keeps moving and seeing the food stands,starts snickering a little at the memory of her pig parents.

Losing herself in her memories,Chihiro didn't realize that she had reached the bridge. She does a familiar act and holds on to the rail,looking for the train.

However,the sky suddenly starts to darken and Chihiro quickly runs across the bridge,heading for the boiler room. While heading down,she unconsciously promises herself to hide her feelings;to her,it was a sign of weakness. She also promised that from now on,she would be more careful in trusting people.

Please review... I must suck in writing now,don't I?


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3:The Boiler Room

In a few minutes,Chihiro had arrived at the door of the boiler room. She had coldly laughed at herself when she almost tripped over the step that she broke three years ago. Seriously? They haven't fixed it yet? What lazy...Her thoughts broke off as she reached the door.

Now,she was walking into the boiler room. Ignoring the blasts of warmth and the hisses of boiling water,Chihiro quickly walks to where she saw the boiler man,Kamajii.

As Chihiro enters,she sees the sootballs carrying coal into the furnance. She smiles a little in surprise as the sootballs all drop their coal and start squeaking enthusiasticaly.

Kamajii turns his head and opens his mouth to yell at the sootballs,but no words come out as he gapes at the human girl in front of him. He finally makes out,"S-Sen?"

Chihiro nods once and bows. She walks towards him as Kamajii holds out two arms. Chihiro awkwardly embraces him and as they separate,Kamajii asks,"It's such a surprise to see you,but what are you doing here?"

Chihiro simply replies,"I belong here. This is my true home." Kamajii's eyebrows rise in surprise and he is about to say something,but Chihito interrupts,"Please don't contradict me and tell me to go back to the human world."

Kamajii closes his mouth and his gaze then falls over the sootballs. Changing the subject,he yells,"Stop staring and get back to work!"

The sootballs squeak angrily in response and as if on cue,a trapdoor opens and a familiar femal spirit crawls in.

:Are you guys fighting again?" Rin stops talking and almost drops the food when she sees Chihiro, "S-Sen?"

Chihiro almost smirks as the same action is performed again. Her face turns blank though,as Rin gapes at her. Chihiro looks at herself and as predicted,she was turning transparent.

Rin quickly stuffs a star candy in Chihiro's mouth. As Chihiro turns solid again,Rin gives Chihiro a great bear hug. Chihiro couldn't help but hug her back.

Their hug ended soon,however,when Chihiro announced,"Sorry,but I will be going to Yubaba's now."

Rin's and Kamajii's mouths both drop in surprise. Kamajii almost drops his food,but he and Rin both stare as Chihito gives her shoes to the sootballs,places her bag near the drawers,and bows at them before crawling out of the trapdoor withou saying another word.

There is an awkward silence. Rin asks,"What was that?" All Kamajii did was shrug.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4:The Contract

Chihiro walks to the elevator,irritated as stares are casted upon her. Some cheer,others smile and wave. The newest workers cover up their noses in disgust.

When Chihiro finally arrives at the top floor,she immediately heads to Yubaba's office. Before the rude door knocker could say anything,Chihiro surprises it with three loud,forceful knocks. The door opens and Chihiro hears a harsh voice say,"Come in." Chihiro ignores the doorknocker's curses.

Chihiro makes one step and she gasps inwardly as she lands roughly on the carpet floor. She hears a cackle and looks up. Yubaba was smirking and this caused Chihiro to glare at her. Yubaba stopped smirking and said,"I knew that I had an intruder,but I didn't expect it to be a human. And it's the same weak,spoiled crybaby,too! My,today is full of surprises!"

Acting as if Yubaba had said nothing,Chihiro asks,"May I get a job here again?" Yubaba raises an eyebrow and opens her mouth to reply but a crash interrupts her. Yubaba closes her mouth and opens it again. "Wait just a minute.''

Yubaba stands up to do something but she sighs and sits back down as a big baby comes walking out. Chihiro recognizes him as Boh.

Boh asks,"Mama,what's that weird smell?" His attention suddenly focuses on Chihiro and he cries out happily,"Sen!" He quickly hugs her but Yubaba interrupts him by saying,"Alright,you may get a job here.' She sends a contract flying over to Chihiro just as Boh lets go of Chihiro so that she could sign it. While Chihiro was signing,Yubaba sent Boh back to bed,ignoring his protests.

After a few seconds,Yubaba retrieves the contract. She says dully,"Your name will once again be Sen. To be fair,you will get a day off to get used to the bathhouse." Her dull expression turns into a sly grin as she says,"Welcome back,Sen."

Then,Yubaba pulls a rope next to her and a ringing sound comes forth. Chihiro stares at it but feels around her pocket for her greeting card. It was still there. Chihiro thinks to herself,"My name is Chihiro."

She breaks out of her thoughts when she hears a mysterious yet familiar voice asks,"You called for me?"


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5:An Awkward Reunion

Chihiro turned her head,refusing to believe that "he" was still here. She resisted the urge to slap herself when her prediction was correct. How ironic.

A few feet away from the door stood Haku. He was slightly taller and his skin was less pale than three years ago. Chihiro stopped herself from blurting out questions. She also didn't know whether to hug him or to slap him. Instead,her gaze averted back to Yubaba.

Yubaba was smirking but then blinked in surprise when Chihiro bowed respectfullyamd swiftly walked past Haku without a second glance.

A few minutes ago,Haku had just flown back from a mission. As he was just about to rest,he heard the bell ring. "What perfect timing,"he thought to himself.

When Haku arrived at the office he had expected some kind of message. He used the same montonous words in greeting. He tried not to let surprise show on his face when he saw a human girl staring at him. He immediately recognized her as Chihiro but remembering a promise made long ago,he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He kept his words to himself and decided to keep quiet.

From the corner of his eye,he saw Yubaba smirking. Then his attention went back to Chihiro when she stared back at Yubaba. Haku almost smirked himself when Yubaba's smirk disappeared,but then his feelings turned back into surprise when Chihiro walked past him,as if he was never there. Despite his feelings,he kept his mask on. Then,copying the same actions as Chihiro,he bowed to Yubaba and followed Chihiro,which left Yubaba smirking again.

Chihiro went down the elevator and was greeted by cheers. Many spirits said that it was nice to see her again,but Chihiro walked through the crowd and headed to the ladies' dorm. She had not said a word in return.

Meanwhile,Haku had flown on to the second floor. From the balcony,he had witnessed everything and saw the workers' confused and hurt expressions. They were soon occupied with themselves and did not notice Chihiro,in her new uniform,sneak out back,headed to the garden. Haku was about to follow her,but he almost growled out loud when he was surrounded by yunas. (Popular,hm...)


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6:Explanations and Solutions

Chihiro turned her head to make sure that no one saw her sneak into the the garden. As she walks further into he garden,she sees the pigpen up ahead. Ignoring it,she lies down in the grass. Too bad Haku wasn't here. She started mocking him,"Or else you'll be turned into a pig yourself."

Chihiro sighed as she fell asleep. She hadn't gotten much sleep after she found out that was adopted,and adding to that was the death of her parents and her birthday coming up in the next two days.

Meanwhile,Haku had managed to escape the yunas. He briskly walked into the garden. "I can't believe she disobeyed orders. If she's found in the garden,she can be turned into a pig. I told her this three years ago."

His eyes now had a cold gleam in them but it disappeared when he saw Chihiro lying on the grass. She was asleep and she was crying. Haku's annoyance quickly turned into concern. He walked over to her slowly and sat next to her. Regretting waking her up,he sighed as he gently shook her shoulders. He blinked as Chihiro stiffly sat up. Before,her eyes were vulnerable. Now,they looked like his a few minutes ago. They were cold and emotionless.

Haku brushed his thoughts aside as she turns her head to face him. He asks,"Why are you here and why were you crying?" Chihiro quickly brushes away her tears and shoots back,"No. Why are you still here? Why are you still Yubaba's apprentice? Why do workers still call you Master Haku? I thought you got your name back. Why didn't you keep your promise from three years ago? And why ask? Do you not want me here?"

Haku winces at her angry words,but he calmly replies,"Sorry." Chihiro glare lessens but she still frowns. "You have not answered any of my questions."

Haku stifled a sigh. "I am still here because I have no where else to go. Zeniba's house is an option but I have caused her much trouble already. Here,I can help other spirits,too. Spirits still call me Master Haku due to respect (maybe fear too :P) and because my full name is too long." He sighed a little before continuing,"The reason I couldn't keep my promise was because of the barrier separating the human world and the spirit world."

He balled his hands in fists and muttered under his breath,"I don' have enough power either because I'm a dead spirit."

Chihiro hears this and her frown disappears. "You're a dead spirit?"

Haku nods once. "I'm not allowed to go the human world except for one time every year. I don't know where you live either,but I really wanted to meet you again. I was also actually hoping that you would forget about the spirit world forever."

He stares into CHihiro's eyes and he is not surprised when her gaze hardens. She says,"I can never forget about the spirit world not about the boy who saved my life twice. This is place is also so much more worth it than the human world."

Haku blinks and curiousity rises. "And what is the reason for saying that?"

Chihiro frowns again and looks away."Answer my last question first."

Haku inwardly sighs at her stubbornness but answers anyway,"Of course I want you to stay but what about your family and your friends?"

Chihiro's expression disappears as she whispers,"They're the reason I'm here."

Haku's eyes soften and he puts one arm around her shoulders in an effort to comfort her. Chihiro stiffens but then hugs her knees to her chest. Her efforts to stop herself from crying were futile. She didn't realize but soon,Haku was hugging her.

After a few minutes,Chihiro calmed down. Haku stood up and pulls Chihiro up with him. She looks up at him and brushes her tears away jus as Haku tells her to stand back. Chihiro obeys and covers her eyes as a bright light shines. Where Haku was now stood a dragon and Chihiro couldn't help but smile.

In his dragon form,Haku sees her smile and can't help but feel happy and surprised. However,he beckons her to climb on. Chihiro does so without hesitation but when she grabs his horns she asks,"Where aer we going?" Her only reply was silence as they flew,but even though there was silence,Chihiro thought to herself,"I wonder if I should trust him again..."


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7:The Cottage

In about ten minutes,Haku and Chihiro had arrived at their destination. Chihiro had fallen asleep but she woke up when she saw light flash. A second later,she was blinking around drowsily,still half-awake. She looked to the side and almost gasped when she realized that Haku was carrying her in a way humans would usually consider "bridal-style."

Chihiro was immediately wide awake and said,"Put me down!"

Haku's eyes showed amusement. He did not obey what Chihiro had said. "Oh,I see you're awake."

Chihiro glared at him but this time Haku didn't wince. Instead,he just kept carrying her. "We're here anyway."

Chihiro's anger turned to confusion but as she was set down she recognized he building in front of her. It was Zeniba's cottage.

The door opened and Zeniba appeared. Zeniba smiled and said,"Come in." The guests obliged and as Chihiro entered she hugged Zeniba. "It's great to see you again,Granny."

Zeniba's smile grew bigger as she hugged her back. Haku had bowed in respect;he watched as Chihiro ran over to hug No-Face. He hid a smile but was still bothered with the questions in his head. Zeniba must have read or his mind or performed a spell or something because then she called Chihiro over to talk.

Chihiro looked up and stopped examining the yarn and crafts No-Face had. She quietly walked over and sat down in the chair Haku pulled up for her. Chihiro looked at Zeniba and asked,"Yes,Granny?"

Zeniba gently asked,"Why are you in the spirit world,dear?"

Chihiro sighed a little as she told Zeniba about her dead parents. She left the adoption part out. She thought that it would be best to inform them of that later.

All of Chihiro's story came out in whispers but it was the only thing audible in the room besides the clinking of needles. Everything else seemed like a loud silence.

After about five minutes,Chihiro finished. Zeniba smiled again and told her,"Thank you,dear. How about getting some rest now?"

Chihiro didn't trust her voice to say anymore so she could only nod. She slowly stood up but then she fell. Haku caught her in a second. He realized that she was mentally and physically exhausted,causing her to faint.

Zeniba saw all of this and told Haku,"I'll leave her to you then." Haku nodded once in reply as he carried Chihiro to the spare bedroom. When he set her down,he noticed that there was only one bed. He made a movement to walk back outside but then he felt arms around his arm. He calmly looked behind him and saw that Chihiro was barely awake and clinging to his arm. Slowly and quietly she asked,"Can you stay with me please?"

Haku smiled as he pulled a chair next to the bed. He slept with his head propped on his elbow. He too soon fell asleep but his other hand had held Chihiro's the whole night.

When Chihiro woke up the next morning she was greeted by Haku's sleeping face. Chihiro flushed as he closely looked at him. He looked the same as three years ago but he wasn't that pale anymore. His condition was healthy and he was taller than before. He also didn't really have that cold attitude anymore.

Chihiro reached out to touch his cheek. Her fingers brushed it and she squeaked in surprise when a cold hand grabbed her wrist. Haku blinked once and immediately let go. "Oh. Sorry Chihiro. I was still asleep I guess."

Chihiro quickly got off the bed to hide her red face and she managed to say,"Oh,it's no problem." Then she walked out with Haku following her,confused on why her face was heated and red.

-Does this story need more romance... because it seems that the story doesn't have that many readers or reviews... I'm kinda jealous on how 12,000 or fewer words can have 196 or more reviews :)P well anyway,please review and give me more opinions...-


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8:A New Arrival (Here's a long chapter to make it up...)

Chihiro and Haku were in the living room. Haku was drinking tea and Chihiro was talking to Zeniba. After a few minutes,Haku told Chihiro that they had to fly back to the bathhouse.

Chihiro agreed and the flight was in an awkward yet comfortable silence. Haku ended the silence by flying faster,causing Chihiro to shriek a little in surprise. She started laughing and this was music to Haku's ears.

He flew at full speed. The ride was like a roller coaster to Chihiro and when Haku had landed,Chihiro's knees wobbled to the ground. She was smiling and breathing a little quickly.

"You okay?"

Chihiro sighed out,"Yeah. That was fun." She grinned up at Haku and he couldn't help but smile back.

Chihiro was about to tell him about her birthday tomorrow but she was interrupted when a female spirit walked up to them.

She had pink hair and golden eyes. She wore the same uniform as Chihiro and this told Chihiro that she was also a worker,but she wasn't like a yuna or similar to Rin.

Chihiro,still in her kneeling position, watched a little warily as the spirit flashed a blinding smile at her and walked over to Haku.

The spirit stood in front of Haku and asked,"Master Haku,may I ask why a human is doing here?"

Haku showed no emotion as he answered,"She signed a contact already."

"What?"

"She will be called Sen. Understood?"

"Yes. B-but-"

"Aren't you supposed to be with the other yunas serving the guests?"

"Y-yes but-"

"Then you should get back to work then."

Chihiro almost smirked at the interruptions the spirit was getting. The spirit noticed that and bowing to Haku before walking away,Chihiro received another smile. A smile of pure hatred.

The spirit briskly walked back inside the bathhouse and Chihiro stood up. She looked at Haku and asked,"Who's she?"

Haku leaned against the bridge. "Her name is Emi. After I got my name back,she just appeared and asked Yubaba for a job."

"And Yubaba said yes?"

"Yes. Yubaba seemed to just mutter under her breath a lot while Emi was signing the contract."

"Oh."

Haku looked at her when he heard her short reply,but he sighed and offered her hand to her. "Let's get back to work,shall we?"

Chihiro smiled a little as she took the hand. She nodded and hand in hand,they walked into the bathhouse.

In the bathhouse,Chihiro felt uneasy at the glares the yunas were giving her. After finally crossing the bridge,Haku had walked to Yubaba's office while Chihiro was looking for Rin.

In an empty hallway,Chihiro was still looking for Rin. She felt like she was being followed but everytime she turned around,no one was there.

When Chihiro was in the middle of the hallway,she was suddenly slammed against the wall.

Chihiro slid to the floor hugging her arms. She looked up slowly and she almost hated herself for constantly predicting things correctly.

The one that slammed Chihiro against the wall was Emi. Behind her were two yunas what were glaring at her earlier.

Chihiro stood up,clutching her arm that has been injured. "What do you want?"

A yuna walked up but Emi stopped her. Emi answered,"We want to know why you're all comfortable with Haku."

Chihiro looked at them blankly. "I knew him when I was ten years old. He saved my life and I did the same."

Emi cocked an arched eyebrow. "Do you expect me to believe that lie?"

Chihiro's eyebrow twitched. "And what if I'm not lying?"

Emi opened her mouth but the yuna on her left shouted,"Then you're even more pathetic than the weak human you are!"

With this,the yuna advanced on Chihiro. The other yuna did the same and Emi seemed to not have any objections. She just watched in amusement as the yunas kicked,slapped,and insulted Chihiro.

Emi finally sighed as she said,"Kana,Kazu. That's enough. This is getting boring."

The yunas that were named Kana and Kazu backed away from Chihiro. Chihiro looked up and Emi was impressed at the human's willpower.

They just left her there while Chihiro clutched her stomach. She grit her teeth but kept repeating,"Endure. Endure."

Then,as if nothing has happened,Chihiro stood up and brushed the now visible dust off her uniform.

She continued looking for Rin but soon gave up. She decided to head to the boiler room.

When she arrived she was glad to see Kamajii,but he looked busy so she decided to go to the lady's dorm.

As she arrived,everything hurt. She decided to just sleep it off. However,there was a slam and she bolted upright in surprise,which resulted in Chihiro immediately hugging her stomach.

In came Rin,who was fuming. Chihiro decided to leave her alone to calm down. She soon fell asleep,but she kept waking up due to the pains on her body.

After eight hours,Chihiro gave up. She just couldn't sleep. She walked out without disturbing those who were sleeping. When she reached the bridge,it was still dark outside.

She suddenly remembered that it was her birthday,but she thought,"No one's there to celebrate it."

She sighed and leaned against the bridge,feeling the breeze ruffle her hair. A hand touched her shoulder and she turned her head slowly. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Haku.

"Good morning,Chihiro."

"Same to you."

Haku removed his hand and asked,"I haven't visited the human world yet. Would you like to come?"

Chihiro asked,"So this is the only time of the year that you can visit the human world?"

Haku nodded.

"Okay. I'll come. But do you know that the Kohaku River isn't far from my house?"

Haku blinked and Chihiro almost smiled at the surprise on his face. "It is?"

"Yes. My house is actually the blue one on the hill."

Haku put a hand on his eyes.

Chihiro shook her head slightly and said,"Well,let's go."

As she walked across the bridge painful pangs hurt her head. She glared at everything to get rid of it but it wasn't helping so far.

Haku watched her weirdly. He thought that Chihiro missed the human world. That's why he decided that today was a good time. It seemed like it wasn't though because Chihiro hadn't smiled at all today.

Meanwhile,they have both reached the human world. They had reached the river and Chihiro squatted down to touch the water. She almost shrieked though when she saw Haku getting transparent.

Haku looked at himself and showed no emotion. He was about to say something but Chihiro had already grabbed his hand. They were running up the hill until they reached a blue house.

Chihiro stared at the car outside of the building. She kept running until she was at the side of the house. When she stopped she quickly jumped to the second floor window,much to haku's amazement. What had happened to her in three years?

Haku broke out of his thoughts when Chihiro jumped to the ground in a feline position. The side of her head was bleeding but before Haku could question her,she stuffed something sweet in his mouth.

Haku became solid again and was about to question her,but again,he was interrupted by Chihiro frantically looking behind her and then back to him.

She shouted,"Run!" Then,she had grabbed his hand and pulled him with her,running away from something Haku did not know.

_If there are mistakes in typing sorry._


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9:Secrets

Chihiro shouted,"Run!" They took off without Haku realizing. He was confused so he was lagging a little behind Chihiro. He snuck a glance behind him ,and surprise clearly showed on his face.

What he saw was a mad woman. She was glaring at them and she held a crowbar with both hands. The top part was smeared with blood,and Haku predicted that that was what hit Chihiro.

Seeing the mad woman,Haku turned his head back to look at what was in front of him. He held on tighter on Chihiro's hand and burst on with full speed. Chihiro's breath hitched in surprise as she almost tripped but she quickly regained her composture.

When they reached the tunnel,Chihiro's gaze was wavering. It looked like she was under water. Haku and Chihiro had stopped to make sure if that woman was still running after them.

Chihiro opened her mouth to ask a question but she broke off as she head footsteps behind her. Haku quickly pulled her behind a bush. He gently backed her against the wall as he held her protectively.

As the footsteps approached closer,Haku pressed closer against Chihiro. For the whole time,she was holding her breath,scared that they would get caught,and also because she wasn't used to Haku so close to her. She also realized that this happened three years ago,but Chihiro's thoughts broke as she tried not to clutch her head and her bruises she got yesterday.

After a few seconds,the footsteps walked away. Chihiro slowly let out her breath as Haku got up. He held out his hand and Chihiro took it. "Who was that woman chasing us?"

Chihiro sighed a little and clutched her hands in fists as she almost hissed out in pain in her ribs. "Let me answer that later."

Haku nodded once and Chihiro asked,"There was another reason why you wanted to take me to the human world,wasn't there?"

Haku ran his hand through his hair. "Yes. I thought that you missed the human world because of your parents. I hoped that if you met your other guardians you would have been happier."

Chihiro huffed. She forced a smile. "Sadly,Haku,that's my only guardian. Not to mention that she hates me."

Haku blinked in surprise. "Why is that?"

However,instead of answering,Chihiro changed the subject. "Let's go back to the spirit world. It's not safe here." Her head hurt more than ever. Chihiro wanted to just curl up in a ball and stop the fight with the pain.

She did just that.

As Chihiro walked into the tunnel first,she staggered. Haku glanced at her. Chihiro ignored them as she kept staggering. With a small sigh,she gave up. As the world started to drop,the last thing she saw was Haku rushing towards her. Then everything went black.

**Haku's POV**

Chihiro's behavior was a little strange today. I saw her at the bridge,holding on the bridge. I thought I saw some pain in her eyes so I walked to the bridge to check.

When she talked to me,she didn't smile at all. Also,as we were heading to the tunnel,she was glaring at everything. A few minutes later,we had arrived at the human world. She looked at my river with happiness and that made me happy as well,but then I was confused when she shrieked. Oh,I see. I was transparent. So that's why she was shrieking.

But then she stopped. She pulled me up the hill and her reaction was strange when she saw a big mobile in front of the main door. I assumed that the mobile was a car,since I have read a lot on the human world.

Then I watched in awe as Chihiro jumped up to the second floor. Three years ago,she seemed too skinny and a little clumsy. Well,that's what the other spirits told me.

I was too busy thinking but I blinked when Chihiro jumped in front of me. The side of her head was bleeding and that made me suspicious. I was about to question her but she stuffed something in my mouth. I quickly swallowed it,no caring what it was. I was about to question her again,but then she shouted at me to run.

Soon,we were running away from a mad woman.

Now,Chihiro was in my arms. I assumed that she had lost too much blood,so I quickly ran and flew to the bathhouse. Not wanting to make a commotion,I flew into the window of my room,which was always opened.

When I arrived in my room,I quickly set her on my bed. The bleeding had stopped already.

I felt her forehead and saw that it was above normal temperature. _  
_

After making sure that she was okay,I put my head in my hands,replaying the confusing events in my head. _I guess I'll get answers from her later._

**I can't come up with ideas...I have to keep going back in forth between stories to make sure that it makes sense. Anyway,please review...**


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 10:Safety

Chihiro woke up with a cool towel on her head. She sat up and was immediately dizzy with the brisk movement she regretted doing.

Chihiro got off the bed,not aware of her conditon nor about her surroundings. She stumbled about,trying to find the door through her blurry vision.

A hand grabbed her wrist and Chihiro slowly turned around. Her brown eyes met green. (He woke up already).

"Haku."

"What are you doing out of bed? You have a fever and adding to that,you lost a lot of blood."

Chihiro shurgged. "Doesn't matter. I have to work."

Haku narrowed his eyes. "Why is it so urgent for you to work?"

Without thinking,Chihiro blurted out,"To get away from Emi-" She stopped by slapping her hand over her mouth.

Haku tightened his grip and asked for her to repeat,even though he heard her perfectly well.

Chihiro shook her head at his request. She shook her wrist for him to let go and Haku did so, but he put a binding spell on her without her realizing it.

He watched as she tried to move her legs,but failed in walking.

Chihiro looked at Haku with no emotion. "I can't move and this happened last time. I assume that you did this to me three years ago to prevent me from running away? And right now as well?"

Haku nodded once. "If you sit down and answer all of my questions, I am willing to let you go."

Chihiro glared at him but huffed out,"Fine."

Haku freed the spell and Chihiro made a movement to sit somewhere but she ran out the door.

Haku's eyes widened as Chihiro slammed the door in his face. She thought,"This is what you get for breaking your promise. You break one because of certain circumstances? So do I!"

Chihiro broke into a run,no matter how much her bruises hurt. They were even affecting her breathing and movements. What had made her actually get hit by her aunt was because when she jumped up to the window,she fell due to the pain in her stomach. When she was lying on the floor,hugging her stomach and trying to move,her aunt had come up,holding a bat.

Chihiro had tried to dodge,but the bat hit her head. After a few seconds of finding some candy in her room,she quickly ran away from her aunt by throwing things in her way to block her aunt from catching up to her.

Chihiro kept running until she reached the elevator. She quickly pushed the lever to go down to the hallway that was empty most of the time.

When Chihiro reached the floor below her,she let out her breath,but gasped very loudly after,causing her to cough. Haku was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed,seeming as if he had been waiting there for minutes when it was actually seconds. He watched as Chihiro caught her breath.

"I don't want to chase you,but I'm going to have to for the sake of your safety."

Chihiro paused and her mouth twitched at the word _safety_. As she clenched her fists and tried to contain her words,she lost it. "_Safety,_you call it? Seriously? Me? Being safe? I'm a human! Spirits can hurt me anytime without you realizing it. The only part you are concerned about is my health! But you think you know it all? Do you know about Emi and her friends? Her minions? Do you _know_ what they do to other spirits? To me? That's all because of _your_ concern,because you _care _about me. You think that your protection helps me,but it makes it worse now. Because of your eyesight,you don't see who people really are. Look at me,for example!"

As Chihiro finished,she was breathing really heavily. Haku's eyes were wide when she started yelling,but his gaze was now blank,hiding every speck of emotion.

Chihiro looked at him then at the ground. "Sorry,I lost it..."

"No,it's okay,but tell me,what do Emi and the yunas with her do to you?"

Chihiro shook her head. She couldn't tell because she would get into even more trouble.

Haku quietly said,"You know,you're running away. Won't it make it worse if you run away from your problems since it won't solve anything? Are you thinking that if you tell me what Emi did,you will get in more trouble because you told me and got her in trouble? Then won't things just continue how they are?"

Chihiro's head shot up to look at him. Was it that easy to read her?

Haku smiled a little at her surprise.

Chihiro looked down again. She whispered,"They bullied me... like with people in my school for years..."

She slowly looked up at him and was frightened by his gaze. It looked furious and protective. He asked coldly,"How did they bully you?"

"Um... they beat me..."

"Where."

Chihiro whispered,"Oh never mind. It's okay. You don't need to deal with this anymore."

"Chihiro,answer me. Where?" His voice started getting lower and more emotionless. It was like when he told her not to talk to her,to address her respectfully like she was a slave.

Chihiro's fright made her unable to talk. The next movements happened by so quickly. Haku actually growled. Then he grabbed both of her hands with one hand and pinned her against the wall. Chihiro,due to her surprise,made no rebelling movement,but she didn't want him to see the horrible bruises.

Too late.

Haku had slowly pulled her shirt up. His eyes flickered with many emotions but it was just a second so Chihiro couldn't make sure which emotion he was showing.

Haku quickly pulled her shirt down. He loosened his grip on her wrists. Then one arm held her shoulders and the others lifted her legs. Again,it was in "bridal-style."

Chihiro made a little noise of surprise. As Haku flew her back to his room,Chihiro whispered,"Haku?"

Haku said nothing in return. He just flew back to his room and set Chihiro-once again- on his bed.

Chihiro lied there,motionless,as Haku applied medicine on her. She couldn't read his face but he didn't seem embarrassed.

Chihiro inwardly shurgged and a moment later,Haku had finished healing her. He moved away from her and walked toward the door. Chihiro opened her mouth to ask him a question,but Haku beat her to speaking.

"I'm going to deal with some business. Do not move from this room,"said Haku. Then he added with a smile,"Don't worry. I won't do anything bad."

Chihiro nodded and as Haku closed the door,he placed a spell on it to lock her in and thought in his mind,"At least,not _too _bad."

**Well,that's a pretty long chapter. Is that good enough...If there are words missing or grammar mistakes,please tell me so I can do better next time. Thanks for reading. Please review. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Ch 11:Birthday

Chihiro sat up. She wondered what Haku was going to do. She didn't want to disobey orders but oh well.

She walked to the door and tried to open it. Her bruises didn't hurt that much anymore but they still stung.

Chihiro frowned in confusion when the door didn't budge. Oh. He's a spirit. Chihiro smacked her forehead. She sighed and sat on the bed. She stared in space as she tried to come up with a plan to get out of the room. She didn't believe Haku's words when he said he wasn't going to do anything. His tone suggested otherwise.

Meanwhile,Haku was walking around the bathhouse. His expression was cold but he looking around for a certain someone.

He found her.

"Rin!"

Rin looked up and scowled. "What now,dragon boy?"

"I need you to do something for me."

Rin walked up to him. "What is it?"

"It involves Sen."

"Okay. Speak."

Even though Haku wanted to say that he wasn't a dog,he replied differently,"Chihiro's getting hurt. I know who the workers are,but I need you to help me deal with them." He added in his head,"After all,you care for her greatly and I will probably end up dead if I don't tell you."

Rin's scowl had turned into a dark glare. "Let's go then. I'll give them a piece of my mind."

She pulled up her sleeves and glared at Haku. The look said,"Lead the way."

Haku did so and soon,they found Emi and the two other yunas,slacking off. Instead,they were giggling like hyenas.

Haku heard his name and Rin raised an eyebrow,but Haku stepped forward.

Emi and the yunas stopped laughing. The yunas started shrieking and Emi just smirked.

"Yes,Master Haku?"

Haku asked,"Were you the ones that beat Sen?"

Emi shrugged,but a yuna answered smugly,"That human deserved it. She lied,after all."

Haku's eyebrow twitched. "What did she lie about,exactly?"

Emi answered with her hand on her hip,"She said that she saved your life. How do you expect us to believe that?"

Haku shouted,"By asking me,of course!"

Emi's eyes widened at his outburst.

Haku's eyes gleamed with anger. "She did not lie at all. She's better than that,including you three." He looked over at Rin. "Am I not correct?"

Rin smugly smirked.

Haku turned back to them. "You three are all fired."

Emi rolled her eyes. The yunas answered,"No can do. We don't know our names so we're stuck here."

In a burst of wind,Haku turned into a dragon. The yunas screamed but Emi just watched in amazement.

The yunas ran off and Emi glared off in the distance. Before running away with them,she hissed,"This isn't over."

Haku smirked. "Farewell. Emiko,Kazuno,Kana."

Then he walked back to his room,ignoring Rin's cheers and curses calling out to the yuna's running backs,Emiko's included. One insult that Rin said that almost made Haku smile was,"Hey Emiko,your name means smiling child? Yeah right,have fun with the pigs!"

Haku finally arrived at his room. He opened the door,finding Chihiro trying to open the locked window. He almost laughed out loud but all that came out was a tiny huff of air.

Chihiro heard it and she stiffened. Her hands got off the lock and she stared back at him in horror.

Haku finally let out his laughter and Chihiro looked at him in surprise. She smiled and as she watched him laugh. She never saw it before.

She asked,"Um,Haku,what did you do to Emi and the other yunas?"

Haku stopped laughing but smiled a little. "Oh,nothing much. They're fired,that's all."

Chihiro couldn't keep her jaw from dropping. "What."

Haku shrugged and said,"Doesn't matter. They're gone now but I want you to answer my questions in return for driving them away.."

Chihiro stiffened. "What questions?"

Haku cocked an eyebrow. "About your guardians,about why you're here."

Chihiro's eyebrows furrowed. She sat on the bed and sighed.

Haku leaned against the wall with his arms crossed,waiting for Chihiro to speak.

Chihiro began,"I didn't tell you before ,but my parents adopted me. My aunt never liked me because I was thought of as a weak and pathetic outsider. When I returned from the spirit world,my parents blamed me for the embarrassment of being alienated because we were four days late for the move."

Haku nodded. Chihiro looked out the window. "It's evening now,right?"

"Yes."

Chihiro sighed and stood up. "Well,happy birthday to me. Turning fourteen in the spirit world wasn't so bad,but it wasn't the happiest.'

Haku leaned away from the wall. "Today's your birthday?"

Chihiro said with a fake smile,"Yup."

Haku frowned. "Don't put on a fake smile in front of me,please."

The smile disappeared,"How did you know?"

Haku leaned in to her face. Chihiro backed away slightly as she waited for his answer.

Haku smiled a little and leaned away. "Your face is just easy to read."

Chihiro hid her blush. Haku kept smiling and offered his hand. "Let's go to the boiler room to celebrate. Rin should be down there on break."

Chihiro grinned. "Really?"

Haku's smile faltered due to the surprise of seeing her cunning smile. "Y-yeah,let's go."

And in the boiler room,they had fun. Rin sneaked in some extra food,Kamajii and Haku drank some sake,and Rin kept hugging Chihiro.

Chihiro was beaming the whole time. She did not notice that someone's eyes were on her the whole time. However,it was not Haku.

**I am running out of ideas,but here's all I got. No flaming please. **


	12. Chapter 12

Ch 12:The Green Feeling

The small party made Chihiro the happiest in her past three years.

Chihiro sighed as she fell on the mattress. Rin was next to her and laughing. She immediately stopped when everyone in the room shushed her. After all,it was the middle of the night and Chihiro and Rin were still awake. The party kept them awake,but Rin fell asleep a few minutes later. Chihiro,though,couldn't fall asleep.

She rose from her mattress and quietly exited the room. She walked on the bridge again. It seemed like the place she visited the most.

"Today's my first day of being fourteen," she sighed as she leaned forward on the bridge.

A flash caught her eye. Chihiro cocked an eyebrow. Maybe her hair tie in her hair caused a reflection. Nah,that wasn't likely. The flash came from the garden.

Chihiro walked over to see what caused it. Again,she was disobeying Haku but oh well. Instead of slapping him be an option,why not just make him angry? He's a water spirit but can he drown me? Or will he fire at me?

Chihiro asked these questions to distract herself from her nervousness. When she arrived at the flash,she was really surprised to see an injured girl. She had dark pink hair and something seemed oddly familiar about her.

Chihiro stepped forward to see if she was unconscious but a cut of wind blocked her.

She looked to he side and her face paled to see Haku.

He didn't seem to show that he was angry. Instead he just looked at the injured figure.

"It seems that she just passed out."

Chihiro couldn't trust her voice so she just nodded. She watched with a little pang as he carried her bridal style. She followed back silently as he carried her to the boiler room.

While Haku was explaining to Kamajii,Chihiro sneaked out. It felt like it was hard to breathe so she just ran out of there and on to the bridge.

Chihiro gripped on the railing until her knuckles turned white. So far,her first day of being fourteen was on a rough start.

Chihiro looked at the passing train below. Was she jealous?

Chihiro almost laughed at herself. "Why am I feeling this way,"she thought,"After all,I am just a human and he's a spirit. He never had feelings for me anyway..."

Chihiro sighed and her breath hitched when a hand was on her shoulder.

She turned and of course,it was Haku.

"What's wrong?"

Chihiro looked back toward the train's rails. "Nothing. Why would there be anything wrong?"

"You look upset."

Chihiro sighed and asked,"Are there any others for you to read their expessions?"

Haku smiled and said,"I seem to care about your's the most though. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

CHihiro shook her head but she asked,"Can you explain the feeling of being hurt and scared of losing someone you care about?"

Haku stood next to her and impersonated her pose. "Jealousy."

Chihiro stiffened and banged her head against the rail.

Haku made a small sound of surprise. He quickly held her head to stop her and he brought it up to examine the damage she has done.

Chihiro's bangs hid her eyes but as Haku removed the bangs to examine the possible wound,Chihiro whispered,"What do you think about me anyway... why did you save me... why do you care..."

Haku's hand had stayed unmoving on her forehead. When Chihiro asked him those questions,he could sense her despair.

When Chihiro looked up with tears in her eyes her eyes just grew bigger when Haku's lips were on hers.

**I couldn't think of anything for this chapter. For the next chapters there will be more drama (maybe). Please don't get bored...**


	13. Chapter 13

Ch 13:New Promises,Arrivals,and Secrets

After a few seconds Haku stepped back. His eyes were hidden as he slowly turned around and walked away,leaving Chihiro to deal with her shock.

Chihiro's mind was in a panic. She slapped both of her cheeks and realized where she was. She took a deep breath and held on to the rail. She exhaled and decided to head back to the boiler room.

When she arrived,Haku was no where to be seen,but Kamajii was working,and the girl was awake.

Chihiro smiled a little and sat in front of her. The girl looked at her with no expression.

With one arm,Kamajii gave Chihiro a cup of water,and then continued working. Chihiro handed it to the girl,but the girl smacked it away,spilling it all over the futon.

Chihiro hid her surprise but smiled a little at the girl and removed the futon.

She asked gently,"What's your name?"

The girl stared and replied,"Miko."

Chihiro smiled and said,"That's a nice name," but inside,she thought,"Why does that sound so familiar?"

Miko kept staring and Chihiro asked,"Um,would you like to eat anything?"

Miko stubbornly looked the other way. Chihiro inwardly sighed but she brightened a little when Rin crawled in and said,"Food's ready!"

Chihiro walked to her and stretched out her hands but Rin held it away and her eyes gleamed as she told her,"Haku's in the garden."

Chihiro blushed but she bowed her head and crawled out,heading to the garden.

She was appalled when she saw him.

Haku was making graceful movements with his hands and moving water in the air. It sprayed the plants and Chihiro watched like a little baby fascinated with sparkly items.

Little did she notice was that the droplets were still floating but the one moving them was behind her.

Chihiro froze when the droplets fell and when she felt arms wrap around her.

"Haku..."

"Why are you here? Yubaba will turn you into a pig if you were caught."

"Sorry but Rin told me that you were here..."

Haku smiled but it disappeared when Chihiro whispered,"And I came here to make a promise with you."

Haku removed his arms from her and turned her around. "Yes?"

"Um,can you promise to stay with me?"

Haku grinned and confirmed,"Promise."

Chihiro smiled back and hugged him.

They quickly walked back though,when Haku saw that the sky was darkening.

They both headed to the boiler room. Surprisingly,when they arrived, Miko looked up at Haku with happiness,interest,and Chihiro noticed... strangely,lust?

Chihiro ignored it though,when Haku led Miko to the office.

As Chihiro sat crossed leg on the floor,she watched the sootballs work. Kamajii suddenly spoke,"Sen,may I speak with you?"

Chihiro stood up and went to him. "Yes,Kamajii?"

Kamajii rummaged through his drawer. He pulled out a ticket. "I have been saving this since you left. I would like you to have it. After all,your birthday passed and i wasn't notified until Haku told me a while ago."

Chihiro beamed and before taking the ticket,she hugged Kamaji. "Thank you!"

Kamajii smiled and patted her head. "Now,now."

Chihiro grinned and said,"I'll show Haku right now."

Kamajii gave her a thumbs-up before getting back to work.

When Chihiro arrived at the fifth floor,she was surprised to see Miko outside of the office door. She smiled and said,"Hi."

Miko's arms were crossed. "What do you want?"

Chihiro was surprised at how familiar her voice sounded,but she replied, "I was just saying hi."

Miko frowned. "What business do you have?"

"I just wanted to talk to Haku."

Miko's frown grew. "Well. First,he's supposed to be addressed as Master Haku,and second,he's really important to me."

Chihiro smiled. "I understand." Then she motioned to knock on the door but she was surprised that Miko suddenly slapped her hand.

Chihiro stole a glance at her in confusion,but she tried again. And once again,Miko slapped her hand. This time,Chihiro struck back,but when the doorknocker started snickering in the background while Chihiro and Miko were slapping each other,the door suddenly opened with a dragon staring at them with a weird expression.

"May I ask what is going on?"

Chihiro opened her mouth to speak but Miko beat her to it.

"She! She started it!"

Chihiro looked at her surprise. She started to defend herself,but Miko spoke again. "She even kicked me!"

Then Miko started crying. Chihiro noticed that they were fake tears,but Haku didn't. Instead,he had the courtesy to lift her in his arms and carry her.

Then he turned around without saying a word to Chihiro. As he walked the opposite way,Miko smirked at Chihiro before turning back to staring at Haku.

Chihiro did not know what overcame her but she made a swift movement with her hand and out came a thin streak of water. It then turned into ice and aimed toward the two walking away.

Haku sensed something coming and he turned it back into a liquid with one graceful movement. Then he stared with no expression back at Chihiro,but his eyes clearly showed confusion.

Chihiro was shocked and confused herself but all she could do was shove the train ticket in her pocket and run away.

She ran all the way _past_ the train station. No way was she wasting Kamajii's precious ticket to her.

However,after about an hour and a half,she stopped running. It was such a good thing she took running club in the human world,but her thoughts slipped away as she stopped in front of Zeniba's cottage.

The door opened. Zeniba smiled. "I was expecting you,dear. Come on in."

**Sorry for the late update...Hope you enjoyed... writer's block? :)**


	14. Chapter 14

Ch 14:Newly Found Power

Chihiro hugged Zeniba tightly. "He promised!"

Zeniba hugged her back and said,"Why don't you sit down and tell me the story."

Chihiro rubbed her tears away. She nodded sullenly.

Five minutes passed. When Chihiro reached the point of the ice shard,Zeniba started smiling.

"That's all,Granny."

Zeniba shook her head and the smile grew bigger. "I knew you were special,but not like this."

Chihiro stared at her with a furrowed look.

Zeniba grinned. "You,my dear,are actually a spirit."

Chihiro's eyes widened. "No,Granny,that's not possible!"

"Yes,dear,it is. Your parents are not your real parents,correct?"

Chihiro shifted awkwardly. "Sorry. I didn't inform you of that."

Zeniba laughed. "Well,your mother was a human and your father was a spirit. You had to age past ten to be able to use your powers."

Chihiro's mouth formed an "o." "So my grandparents were spirits too?"

Zeniba nodded. "Spirits of bodies of water."

And before Chihiro could reply,Zeniba said,"Let's see how you use your power,shall we?"

Chihiro smiled and stood up.

Zeniba nodded and did the same. "Now,put one hand out with your fingertips pointing up,as if you're telling someone to halt."

Chihiro did so and looked at Zeniba for further instructions. Zeniba nodded again and said,"Now imagine water coming out of it."

Chihiro closed her eyes and when she opened them,she was grinning. Then,without Zeniba telling her to,she moved her hand around in a circle,doing the same with the other hand. Soon,she was doing a similar act the what Haku was doing in the garden.

Thoughts of Haku made Chihiro turn sad and a little angry. She was a little surprised when the water turned into ice. Now it was a ring.

Zeniba clapped her hands. "It seems like your powers are due to imagination and feelings."

Chihiro smiled and tried again with the water. This time,it was the form of a ball.

Suddenly,the windows were rattling from the wind outside.

Zeniba smiled. "What perfect timing. There seems to be a vistor. Can you let him in please?"

"Okay."

She held the ball of water in one hand. When she opened the door,she saw Haku in dragon form. The ball unconsciously turned to snow (not ice) and Chihiro fired it at Haku. She saw it hit his face and when she saw that,she slammed the door.

Then,she fumed off to the spare bedroom. Zeniba heard a slam of the spare bedroom door and then a knock on the other door.

Zeniba opened the door and she snickered when she saw a furious and wet face. Haku's face was grim he bowed respectfully. Then he headed off the the spare bedroom when Zeniba motioned toward there.

Then she started snickering again when the door slammed _again._

Haku rushed to the spare bedroom. He was a little annoyed that a ball of snow hit his face but he was also very confused. "How can she have powers? She is human,after all." he thought. He pushed those thoughts away as he was in front of the door. It was locked.

He sighed and used magic to open it. Then he slammed it closed.

Chihiro was lying in the bed,facing the ceiling. She turned her head to face him. Then she frowned and looked away.

Haku got on the bed,with his knees trapping her and his hands grabbed her wrists. Chihiro glared at him. With an icy tone,she said,"Nice to see you again,Master Haku. Do you have some business with me? If so,then get off of me!"

Haku looked at her with a hurt expression. With a soft voice,he said, "I am sorry that I misunderstood. I found out that Miko faked her injury. The doorknocker told me everything. I should have known that you wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Huh. So that rude little thing can actually be of use,"Chihiro thought.

Haku continued,"Can you explain how you were performing magic and why you hit me?"

He looked at Chihiro,who was still glaring. Haku sighed a little and he got off of her. Chihiro heaved a sigh and then sat up. Haku sat across from her,awaiting for her to speak. Chihiro frowned and exhaled. She then said,"It's kind of a long story. Well, you see,my ancestors were spirits. My mother was a human and my father was a spirit. I told you before but parents in the human world weren't my real parents. I can see why because of how they treated me. Anyway,both my set of parents are dead,and as you saw before,I am a spirit of some body of water."

She looked up at Haku,who was putting on his steel mask again. Haku then replied,"That was interesting and I am glad,but now please explain on throwing snow at my face?" Chihiro smiled a little,but she said quietly,"I was angry that you weren't even willing to listen me. And don't forget," Chihiro's bangs hid her eyes,"You promised that you will stay with me."

By the time she finished talking,she was clutching the sheets with both hands and her eyes were hidden.

Haku's eyes were hard and he surprisingly pulled Chihiro into a hug. Chihiro exclaimed,"Don't do that so randomly! I want to state what really happened today!" Haku sighed and replied a little teasingly,"You can still talk to me in this position though." Chihiro growled,"Fine."

She then continued,"I was going to show you the ticket Kamajii gave me a birthday present. I went up to the office and saw Miko outside. I was about to knock on the door but then she slapped me. When I finally retaliated,you were asking us what was going on. Then she accused me of kicking her and you immediately listened to her."

Haku listened and became guilty and hurt after she stopped talking. He hugged her tighter,which made Chihiro whisper,"Can you let go of me now? I am not ready to forgive you yet." Haku broke away from her,smiled, and said,"Then I'll make you then." Chihiro scoffed and said with sarcasm,"Please show me your magic ,oh old Master Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi." Haku smirked and pulled her closer. Then,he kissed her.

**He has a long name,but I hope you enjoyed this random chapter. Please review and tell me what I did wrong? **


	15. Chapter 15

Ch 15:Training

Chihiro was surprised but didn't pull away. In about three seconds,Haku finally let her go. Haku smiled a little and asked,"Do you forgive me now?" Chihiro's face was erased of all emotions as she just said,"Maybe,but I'm wondering what happened to the boy from three years ago. He was shy and quiet,but all I see in front of me is a perverted old man."

Haku's eye and corner of his mouth twitched. The next thing he did was strange. He started laughing,something that Chihiro never experienced before. She watched with interest as Haku clutched his stomach laughing on the bed. Chihiro smiled but she whispered,"Fine. You win. I shall grant you your forgiveness." She stuck her tongue out at him and Haku smiled and stopped laughing.

Haku sat up and got off the bed. He offered her his hand and said,"Follow me." Chihiro took his hand and when they both arrived in the kitchen,they saw Zeniba reading a newspaper while No-Face was knitting. It seems that he was somewhere else when all the spirit commotion was going on.

Zeniba looked up and smiled at the two hands twined together. "I see all is well."

Haku bowed and Chihiro smiled. Zeniba continued,"Haku,I assign you to perfect Chihiro's powers. No exceptions. Good luck. Good bye." She smiled teasingly at them and waved a hand at them to go back.

Chihiro hugged Zeniba and said that she will visit again soon while Haku bowed once more.

In a few minutes,they were aloft. Then in half an hour,the bathhouse was in view. However,instead of landing on the bridge,Haku veered off to the right as they headed toward the garden. Haku almost chuckled as he heard Chihiro gasp in surprise. Who knew that her guard was down when it came to me. She used to glare and have a face of steel.

As Haku landed,Chihiro jumped off. "Why are we here?" She closed her eyes as a light flashed. When she opened them Haku was in human form.

He replied,"We are here to make sure that your powers are under control."

Chihiro nodded. "Let's begin then."

Haku said,"Try to get me wet in under five minutes."

Chihiro thought that it was too easy. He shouldn't underestimate her because even though she drops her guard around him,she still has reflexes and wits.

Chihiro made two streams of water and shot one towards Haku. As he dodged,Chihiro took the opportunity to wound the other one around him,soaking him in the process.

As he stared with narrowed,annoyed eyes,Chihiro said in between laughs,"You shouldn't underestimate me."

Haku pulled the droplets off of him. With closed eyes,he said,"Yes,I should not." He opened his eyes and smirked. "Next time I'm not going easy on you."

Chihiro smiled. "Ohh,I'm scared."

"Next time,I should punish you,too."

As they stared at each other with mischievous looks,they didn't notice Miko walk up to them.

"Sen,I hereby challenge you!"

Haku and Chihiro looked at her with surprised expressions,but Chihiro smiled. "I accept."

Haku looked at them. He shrugged a little when he saw Rin walk up behind Miko. "So be it."

**Don't worry,Miko's not going to be that bad. She will be similar to Harumi (from my oher story) pretty soon. Please review. Hope you liked this chapter :). Sorry for it being short,**


	16. Chapter 16

Ch 16:Challenges

Chihiro and Miko walked to the garden. Chihiro stayed behind while Miko tried to walk closer to Haku,but he always walked too slow to wait for Chihiro,or too fast,trying to get away from Miko. Chihiro giggled a little at his acts,but she wondered why Haku was holding a sketchpad. It looked a little like hers,but it was left in the boiler room,completely forgotten until now. She shrugged and just followed along quietly.

When they arrived at the flower bushes,Haku suddenly announced,"I will give both of you a piece of paper. Please draw something important to you and Rin will be the referee." Chihiro smiled as she heard Rin cheer and give a fist pump.

Miko and Chihiro both received their supplies. Chihiro smiled because everything she drew seemed important to her.

Miko finished her drawing before Chihiro. Right now,Chihiro was just finishing up.

With her pink hair swinging and golden eyes glowing,she gave the picture to Rin.

When Chihiro finally finished her drawing,she stood up slowly and gave it to Rin as well. Rin smiled and motioned for Haku to come over. They compared the pictures. Rin suddenly swiftly made a gesture to Chihiro. "Sen is the winner! Picture of the spirit world,everyone important to her."

Chihiro smiled and Miko glowered. Chihiro glances at her and asks,"Why is it that you hate me anyway?"

Miko's glare turned into a blank expression as she sighed. "I guess I was jealous. I have always liked him but you came. I thought you were inferior since you were human and all. I even went as far as to gang up on you and feign injuries,but I don't think I'm giving up yet."

Chihiro was confused while Rin and Haku were looking at Miko strangely.

Miko sighed again as she started glowing pink. When the light stopped,her hair grew longer and her condition was healthier. Now they all knew who she was.

She placed a hand on her hip. "My name is Emiko. Yes,I was the one who ran away with the two other yunas and yes,I was the one with the idea of beating Sen." Haku stepped forward,but Rin stopped him,wanting to hear Chihiro.

Chihiro was surprised. After all,she did look familiar,but she didn't expect for her to come back,not to mention that she knew her real name. She asked,"How did you find out that your name is Emiko?"

Emiko straightened her arm. "Emi was the first part of my name and while that worker,Rin,was shouting that I was some smiling child,I remembered that my name was Emiko,meaning smiling child."

As Miko,now Emiko finished talking,a strange cloud started forming in front of her.

Now Chihiro,Rin,and Haku were confused again. What stood before was a cloud. Now stood a man.

Haku stared. "Hideo-san?"

The man named Hideo smiled. "I see that when you have gotten your name back,your memories came back as well."

Haku smiled back. To Rin and Chihiro,he explained,"This is a spiritwho helped me in the past. He's one of the most important spirits here."

Emiko interrupted. "Daddy."

Rin,Chihiro,and Haku looked at Emiko as if she had grown a head.

Hideo turned her smile back to Emiko. "Yes,dear?"

Emiko glowered. "Are humans inferior or not?"

Hideo frowned. "Well,you will have to ask your mother,I guess. But in my opinion,all of them bring misfortune."

Chihiro blurted out,"No,only some do. Not all humans bring destruction. Some work to preserve the environment. Therefore,I don't think that you have the right to say that."

Hideo's eyebrow rose. "Interesting but true. It seems that I must take my statement back. Who are you,young lady?"

"I am Chihiro. Half-human. Half-spirit."

Now it was Emiko's turn to look at Chihiro strangely. "_What? _I have been defeated by a halfling and in a _drawing_ contest?"

Chihiro nodded. "I am afraid so."

Hideo looked at Emiko. "Picking fights again,I see. Let's go talk with your mother."

Emiko threw one last glance at them but formed a cloud and flew away with her father.

When all was calm,Rin told Chihiro,"Sen,you have a lot of explaining to do."

Chihiro nodded and when she looked around to ask Haku something,she found that he has surprisingly disappeared.

**Yes,yes. Sorry if this was boring. Trying to make it somewhat similar to Because of You. Please read and review.(Sorry if there are any mistakes). By the way, I like making things complicated. More conflicts,more interesting and suspenseful,right? :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Ch 17:Assistance

Chihiro looked at Rin and gave an uneasy smile. "Explain what?"

Rin grinned and put both hands on their hips. "Let's see,not much. How you're a half spirit and what's the business with your dragon boy?"

Chihiro flushed a little. "M-mine?"

Rin's smile grew bigger. She grabbed hold of Chihiro's arm and pulled her back to the bathhouse. Chihiro was dragged and she started laughing but she stole one last behind her to check for Haku.

When Chihiro arrived at the bathhouse,she got a big lecture from a steaming Yubaba. She sighed as she sat on the balcony,mumbling Yubaba's last words,"Stop slacking off or you'll be turned into a piglet!"

She heard Rin snickering behind her.

Rin smiled. "Well,Sen, ready to explain yet?"

Chihiro sighed. "Well,my parents actually adopted me. They died and that's why I'm here. My real parents are actually a human and spirit and therefore,I'm half and half."

Rin's mouth was formed in an "o." She smiled. "That was interesting,but what about dragon boy?"

Chihiro glared but stuck out her tongue. "He's fine."

Rin grinned and was about to ask another question but she broke off as her mouth stayed open. She was staring at the sky.

Chihiro followed her gaze and her eyes widened at what she saw. It was Haku in dragon form,covered in cuts. She shouted his name but he didn't seem to hear her.

Chihiro created a cloud and flew after him;she was amazed at what she had just done but she pushed those thoughts away,including Rin's calls. She saw Haku enter through a tunnel. Realizing that she was too tall for it,she stopped aruptly and almost plunged into the ocean. Gasping and realizing how high she was,she shook her head when she realized that she was in this same position looking for Haku,just like three years ago. (**NA:**She turned fourteen two weeks ago,I think. Sorry but I keep forgetting small details).

Chihiro crawled into the tunnel,and went up until she found a huge square shaped space above. She flew up and found Haku bleeding on the carpet. Yubaba was next to him with her mouth open. She looked up and saw Chihiro. The first things that came out of her mouth were,"What happened?"

Chihiro shrugged her shoulders and slowly walked over to him. When she kneeled down next to him,the dragon's eyes opened. Haku growled and some blood came out of his cuts. He flew down the trapdoor,but Chihiro quickly grabbed his horns in time,dragging her down as well. She didn't scream but instead,gasped. She held on to Haku,who was dropping down. However,he quickly regained position and snarled.

He flew through a tiny tunnel,which was the same one they took three years ago. Chihiro saw the lost souls growing taller,which made Haku fly faster. They went through the fan and broke it once again. Chihiro yelled as she fell into Kamajii's arms. She heard him yell,"Sen! What's going on!"

Chihiro jumped off and looked around her. Rin was feeding the now jumping sootballs and her mouth was forming an oval. Rin quickly rushed over and said,"There's blood everywhere!" Chihihiro blinked at her statement and then focused her attention on Haku,who was now lying on the ground,blood coming from cuts,and some coming from his mouth.

Chihiro gasped a little and ran over to him. She formed some water in her hands and started healing Haku. The dragon went limp when the cuts stopped stinging so much. Kamajii crawled over and looked at Haku's cuts. They was one more,but it was actually a lot jumbled together,strangely looking like words.

Kamajii called,"Sen,come look at this." Chihiro went over,with Rin leaning and looking as well. Chihiro stared at the cuts and reads,"Whoever reads this now knows that whoever harmed this dragon will be coming in ten hours. Prepare yourselves." Chihiro frowned and asked out loud,"Prepare for what?"

She stopped talking when Rin shouted a little. Chihiro looked back at the words and saw that the words were now disappearing,leaving a huge slash in place. The slash started pouring blood out,which made Chihiro shriek. She quickly put her hands on Haku's wound,but it became harder for her to heal it when Haku changed back. With difficulty, Chihiro finally stopped the bleeding and she laid him down on the mattress Kamajii provided.

Rin had left with a scowl on her face and fists clenched. Chihiro just shrugged inwardly because right now,Haku wasn't even letting out tiny moans of pain. She kept thinking,"What happened and how did he turn out this way?" She snapped out of her thoughts when Kamajii started saying,"I think you should go to Zeniba's about this. This will be dangerous if this spirit can actually hurt Haku with the same damage that the golden seal did."

Chihiro nodded at his wise statement and was said,"I'll use the train ticket this time. Less time to waste than running there and flying with inexperience." Kamajii looked at her with confusion when flying was mentioned but Chihiro told him that Rin will explain later.

Kamajii nodded and Chihiro stood up. Just then, Rin came in. Rin was holding wet towels in one hand and a bowl of rice in the oher. Chihiro asked,"Where have you been? And why is your face a little scraped?"

Rin sighed with exasperation as she replied,"I went to get towels for dragon boy,but I saw yunas talking badly about you as a human and how you should stay away from Haku. I got mad,so I beat them a little. They managed scratching me in return,but I quickly ran out."

Chihiro blinked a couple of times. She then smiled and said,"Good job." She walked over and told Rin,"I am going to Zeniba's. Please take care of Haku for me."

Rin nodded,along with Kamajii. As Chihiro was about to leave,Rin shouted,"Wait,Sen!" Chihiro turned her head around and said,"Yes?" Rin grinned slyly and said,"Kiss the injured dragon boy goodbye."

Chihiro sighed and huffed,"Fine." She quickly walked over and kissed Haku's cheek. She whispered to him,"I'll be back soon. Wait and get better,okay? Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi." Haku stirred a little but he fell asleep once again. Chihiro smiled a little and stood up again. When she got to the trapdoor,she said,"Oh,Kamajii and Rin?"

Kamajii looked up and Rin asked,"Yeah,Sen?"

Before walking out the boiler room door,Chihiro grinned. "My name is Chihiro."

Then she ran out,leaving Rin confused and Kamajii stroking his beard.

In thirty minutes,Chihiro had arrived. She sprinted to the cottage and lost her breath when she knocked on the door.

Zeniba opened it and as Chihiro gasped out words,Zeniba smiled. "Don't worry child,I know already."

Chihiro had finally regained her composure. "How?"

Zeniba smiled wider. "Your hair tie protects you. It signals danger or inferiority and I know of it."

"Really?"

Zeniba nodded. "Now,enough chit chat. An hour has already passed. Let's get going to prepare,shall we?"

Chihiro nodded frantically and Zeniba snapped her fingers. She wanted to ask more questions,but oh well,let's forget about it.

Chihiro and Zeniba then arrived in the boiler room. Chihiro saw that Haku was still lying on the mattress,but he was breathing normally. Zeniba walked over to him and smiled at Chihiro. Kamajii looked up from his work and nodded hello to them. The sootballs squeaked their hellos but they kept hauling the coal.

When Rin barged in,she was breathing a little hard. She quickly spotted Chihiro and jumped on her,hugging her. Chihiro hugged her back and then pulled away.

She heard a few groans from Haku and she snapped her glance to him. She quickly and silently kneeled next to him. Haku's eyes slowly opened and he looked around. He winced a little at his pain and everyone's intense stares. He looked away,

Chihiro asked,"Are you okay now,Haku? What happened to make you like this?" Haku stayed silent,not saying a word. Chihiro frowned while Zeniba made a "hmming" noise.

Rin just shouted,"Dragon Boy,you still half asleep? Because I have two drums to wake you up!" She started glaring at him when he didn't react. She started walking towards him,but Zeniba put out her arm to stop her.

Chihiro sighed at the events happening. She wondered why Haku was not talking to her but right now,that did not matter.

Chihiro just kept talking. "We have about eight hours left before the attacker." Haku sat up when he heard this. He winced in pain and he shut his eyes tightly. Chihiro showed no expression. She just gently put her hands on his shoulders and put him back into lying position.

She stared into Haku's eyes and saw that they were full of pain. She whispered to him,"Why won't you speak to me? And why did you go to Harumi's mother? What were you thinking and what were you trying to accomplish?"

Haku once again moved his head to face the other side. Chihiro flinched a little and she looked at Zeniba.

Zeniba sighed and motioned her hand in a circular way. She then said,"He went to Emiko's mother,Chiyo,to talk about Emiko and Chihiro. He wanted Emiko to stop being a bother,with the relationship . He isn't talking to you because-" Zeniba was interrupted when Haku struggled to sit up,his face cold and emotionless. He said,"I will tell her myself." He looked at Chihiro,whose face was worried.

Haku said,"I am sorry for not talking to you. I was angry at Emiko for trying to injure to you. I went to Chiyo and tried to reason with her,but then she got infuriated when I asked her about Emiko because Chiyo was the one who influenced Emiko to have that type of personality. That is why."

Zeniba made a scoffing noise and she said,"There's more to it." Rin,Kamajii,and Chihiro looked at Haku.

He sighed and said,"I am also angry at myself for not being able to protect you. I just feel so useless right now." He looked down,his bangs covering his eyes. Chihiro smiled at his honest words and she put her hand on her shoulder,trying to comfort him. She said,"It'll be alright. I still love you,don't I?" Haku looked up and smiled a little. Chihiro smiled back and kissed him on the lips gently.

Zeniba grinned slyly and she secretly brought out a device. She made it fly over above the couple and after a flash of light,it flew back to her. Chihiro and Haku broke apart and Rin walked over to Zeniba. Chihiro and Haku did the same and Chihiro asked,"What is that,Granny?" Zeniba started cackling and she showed the device to Rin. It was a box that had a glass circle on it. It almost looked like a camera,only more high-tech. Rin looked at the glass and she started laughing. Zeniba laughed along with her and Chihiro looked at them with confusion.

She asked,"What's so funny?" Zeniba and Rin smiled at her. Zeniba pressed a button and a photo flashed above it. It was of Haku and Chihiro kissing. Chihiro blushed and she looked down. Kamajii was smiling and he sootballs were squeaking. Meanwhile, Haku just frowned. Chihiro tried to comfort him but touching his shoulder. It just made Zeniba and Rin laugh again. Their famliy moment was ruined ,however, when an explosion was heard above. They all gasped,except for Zeniba. Zeniba just said sullenly,"Chiyo has arrived."

**Extra long chapter for you people...review please...**


	18. Chapter 18

Ch 18:Lessons

There were screams and shouts outside. Rin and Kamajii quickly went outside,while Zeniba and Chihiro helped Haku up. They helped him walk and crawl through the trapdoor. When they got to the entrance of the bathhouse, they saw almost every worker there,with Yubaba standing in the front. Why did Chiyo arrive so early?

Zeniba walked over to her sister. They did not exchange any words,and instead of their usual arguing,they gave each other sly smirks.

All of the workers stared at the huge storm cloud forming above them. Chihiro saw that Emiko was already there. Emiko was just staring at the large cloud in front of her with a big smile on her face. Haku had followed her gaze.

He made a move to walk over to her but Chihiro grabbed his hand,stopping him. He frowned but stood where he was.

When the cloud slowed to small wisps,it was replaced by a woman. Her hair was glittering,fitting her name perfectly.

Emiko ran to Chiyo. "Mommy!" She gave Chiyo a hug.

Zeniba spoke up,causing their embrace to break up. "Hello,Chiyo. May I ask why you're here?"

Chiyo's previous smile turned into a scowl. She pointed an accusing finger at Haku. "That dragon over there asked if my daughter can give up on him. I asked him if she was not worthy of him and he said that someone was already more worthy and that he loved someone else. Who is better than my daughter?"

Zeniba sighed. "Your daughter can't have anything. I think you just have too much pride right now and you're unable to think straight."

Chiyo's eyebrow was twitching but she said,"What my daughter wants,she should always have."

Yubaba,who was snickering a little before,now stopped. Her anger had finally snapped.

She roared,"Can't you see that my sister is telling you that your brat of a daughter will never obtain Haku's love? Geez,there are flies buzzing in your ears in you don't and can't understand that. I spoil my son,but at least he and I have senses!"

By now,Yubaba's ears were puffing out smoke and Zeniba was trying to hold in her own snickers. Chihiro was smiling at Yubaba's defense,but her smile vanished when Chiyo looked like she was about to injure someone.

Chihiro felt Haku stiffen. She looked at him and asked,"What's wrong?" Haku just shook his head,but his face was tense. Chihiro looked at his side and almost shrieked when she saw that his wound was reopening a little. There was a clean line of blood on his clothes. She pulled him away from the crowd. They can handle themselves for a while,at least,she hoped.

Chihiro quickly pulled up Haku's shirt,even though he was pulling away a little. Chihiro bonked his head to show him that he was acting like a child. Haku's hands were now on his injured head,which gave Chihiro the chance of stopping the bleeding. She pulled his shirt up and saw that the gash opened up a little. She quickly used some clean water and closed the wound,which caused Haku to exhale a sigh of relief.

Chihiro hit his head once again.

Haku winced and made no noise but Chihiro raised her voice. She asked angrily,"Why did you hide the fact that your wound was opening up?" She sighed,not really wanting a response. She just grabbed Haku's arm and pulled him back to the crowd.

What Chihiro saw next was not expected. Emiko and Chiyo were standing next to each other glaring at Yubaba and Zeniba,who were also lined up as a pair. The workers formed a huge circle around them,and Chihiro had to push a lot to get to the front,dragging Haku along.

She saw Rin near the front and asked her,"What's going on?" Rin didn't look at her. She just answered,"There's going to be some kinda duel. If Emiko and Chiyo win, Haku goes with them. If Yubaba and Zeniba win,they will leave forever and never bother you and Haku ever again."

Chihiro's eyes widened at the compromise and she looked at Haku. He was the prize of this stupid bet?

Chihiro was about to say something to reassure him,but she was interrupted by sounds of thunder above,along with a bright flash of light. Chihiro squinted her eyes and saw two figure. The one on the right was a woman and the one on the left was a man. She whispered,"It's Hideo."

Hideo landed on the floor by bending his knees. Chihiro smiled as she dragged Haku to greet him. They both bowed,even though Haku tried his best.

Chihiro spoke first. "Hideo-san,why are you here?"

Hideo crossed his arms. "Well,I was going to look for my daughter first but then my wife." He then walked toward the circle. Workers cleared a straight path for him as he walked into the middle.

When he finally made through,Emiko grinned. "Hi,Daddy."

Instead of returning the smile,he frowned. "You went out without my permission."

Emiko smiled and nodded. "Yeah,I came to get Haku."

Hideo shook his head and turned to Chiyo. "Now,why are you here?"

Chiyo frowned at his question. "I came to help Emiko. He seems to not understand how Emiko feels. He seems to not know what love is."

Haku heard this and his hand held Chihiro's tighter. Hideo noticed and smiled.

Hideo kept talking to Chiyo,"Of course he understands love. He loves Chihiro as I love you." At his last words,Chiyo's eyes softened and she hugged Hideo. (gag :P) Emiko just watched them and when the couple broke apart,Chiyo said,"Fine, that dragon can be with Chihiro or whoever she is."

Emiko whined and Chiyo _finally _understood.

She looked over at Emiko and said,"We should probably go to the human world to study them. Maybe then you can be fully mature."

"But I don't want to go."

Chiyo's temper seemed a little easy to break because she grabbed Emiko's arm,formed a cloud,and they both flew into the sky. Emiko cast one last mournful glance as she soon disappeared.

Before Hideo followed,he cast Haku and Chihiro a playful wink. Chihiro grinned and Haku smiled.

Then,while forming a cloud,Hideo shouted,"Farewell,Kohaku! Until,next time!" Haku jumped at his real name being called,but gave a small wave.

Then Haku turned around and gave Chihiro a kiss. Loud cheers were heard and Chihiro smiled as she thought,"I found a permanent place where I belong."

**Next chapter is going to be about Emiko. It takes place a few weeks later. Please review :) and also,more conflicts and characters are going to come. Prepare yourselves...**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:What is Love Anyway?:

Emiko sighed as she made her way to the private school. Three weeks have passed already and she was frustrated.

She thought,"This is so not fair! I have to spend two years studying in the human world!" She sighed. "Three weeks done. How many more to go..."

She growled a little and then her thoughts slipped to Haku. She shook her head,realizing that she should give up on her love. After all,he was already with Chihiro and even cared enough to talk to her dramatic mother.

She thought,"What is love anyway?" She kept thinking even when she reached the entrance of her school. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, when she felt a wham on her head. With her pink hair swirling,she fell forward. She turned her head around and met face to face with Akira,also known as the bully in her class.

Akira was the queen on the class. She can tell anyone what to do because of her money,power,and looks.

Emiko sighed,wanting to get this over wtih. She asked coldly,"What do you want?" Akira's only response was a sly smile. Before she could say anything else,she felt a slap from behind. She snapped her head around and saw two other girls,the servants of "Queen Akira." Emiko glared at them and stood up,but the girls behind her tripped her,which caused her to fall back down. She made an "oof" sound,which made the gang start cackling like hyenas.

Every time they did this,she always flashed back to when she was instructing two yunas to beat Chihiro. Oh how she despised that. She balled her hands up in fists and regret what she did. She wanted to say sorry all the time but that was too late now,wasn't it? Emiko closed her eyes,waiting for them to hit her.

However,they suddenly stopped laughing. They actually ran away. Well,that was a first.

While lying down,Emiko looked after them in confusion. She sighed and tried to stand up,but her body felt numb after all that kicking and slapping. She shut her eyes in pain and turned on her back. When she opened them,she saw a hand held in front of her. She looked up and saw a guy her age,but he was taller, had blue eyes, and had dark blue hair.

Emiko's cheeks turned a little pink and thought,"This guy seems cute. Wait! What am I thinking?" Emiko mentally shook her head but still looking at the outstretched hand,she took it.

When she stood she asked a little coldly,"Who are you?" The boy's blue eyes flashed a little with surprise,but he replied,"Not even a thank you? Hm. Well,my name is Oji." He smirked a little before saying,"Everyone addresses me as Ouji though, except for you." (Ouji means prince)

Emiko took her hand away and her response was,"I don't really care about who you are,but thank you anyway." Her response caused Oji's eyebrows to raise,but he started smiling. Emiko frowned,confused on the reason why he was smiling. She asked cockily,"What?"

Oji kept smiling and he shook his head. He answered,"You sure are interesting. No one has ever treated me like this before." Oji grinned and the next thing he did caught Emiko off guard. He took her hand and kissed it.

Oji walked past her with a smirk on his face while Harumi stood there speechless. She shook her head and her hands covered her face.

She asked in her head,"What is this bubbly feeling in me? Why am I feeling like this?" She smiled after asking that, and she looked up at the sky. She asked another question,"Is this love?" She mentally shrugged as she went into the building to start her classes.

Emiko followed Oji to class. When the door opened,everyone's stares were on Oji. Soon,everyone was crowded around him,wanting attention from the ''prince.'' He must be some kind of arrogant showoff.

Emiko rolled her eyes and pushed her way through the crowd until she reached her seat. When she moved closer,she saw that the layout of the desk was covered with comments and insults such as,"Stop showing off," or "Pink haired witch."

Emiko blinked away her hurt and while the class wasn't watching,she used her magic to erase every trace of the words. Emiko sighed in relief and sat in her desk. She eventually fell asleep,listening to the compliments about the prince fade away. Thank goodness that it was after school hours.

When Emiko woke up,she met blue eyes. She jumped a little and she heard a chuckle. Oji said,"You look cute when you sleep and I bet you'll look better if you smiled. That will suit your name more." Harumi blushed and kept her eyes down. She focused her eyes on the clock and saw that it was time to leave.

She sighed and got up from her seat. She felt Oji's eyes on her,but she ignored it. She kept walking until she was outside the classroom. She felt slaps on the back of her head _again _and saw Akira and her servants. (She doesn't know their names and she doesn't care anyway).

Emiko's head snapped to one side and when she turned back to Akira,Harumi was glaring at her. She shouted,"What do you have against me? Just leave me alone!"

Emiko kept her glare on and she saw Akira's eyes flash with some hating emotion. Was it jealousy? Emiko couldn't examine any further because she felt kicks on her back. Emiko fell on her side and she glared at the two servants. She wished that she could attack them in some way but that would cause a lot of trouble,not to mention that she would get a horrible punishment from Chiyo and Hideo. And when they worked together,they were _scary._

Emiko quickly got up and she saw Akira's hand advancing on her. Emiko whimpered a little,feeling vulnerable, and she shut her eyes,waiting for the slap to come. It didn't.

Emiko slowly opened her eyes and saw that Oji was in front of her,holding Akira's hand.

Oji was frowning at Akira. Akira's face looked scared,but her eyes were filled with some kind of swoony feeling. Harumi looked back at Oji when he asked,"What were you going to do with Emiko? I'm sure that you don't want your hands dirty in any kind of way right?"

Emiko blinked,not realizing that Oji knew her name,nor that he actually cared.

Harumi snapped out of her thoughts when Akira answered,"I was just going to braid her hair." Emiko glared at her and said nothing.

Oji looked like he didn't believe Akira. Emiko did not want to make a scene,so she gently took Oji's hand. She pulled it and she somewhat dragged him with her,ignoring Akira shouting,"Hey!"

When Emiko finally dragged Oji out of school,she let go of his hand. She walked away,but Oji took her hand once again. He asked,"What really happened back there?" Emiko sighed and said dully,"It does not concern you." Her amber eyes showed no emotion when she said that.

Oji frowned at her answer and he persisted,"Tell me and I will help you."

Emiko frowned and retorted,"Like you can do anything! You are surrounded by students everyday and I am hated by everyone! How can you help me? You can't change feelings of hate nor can you change them bullying me!" She gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth,realizing that she blurted the truth out loud.

Emiko finally let some tears flow out,tears that she wanted to let out for weeks,but she quickly ran away from Oji,not wanting him to see her cry,and not wanting to hear him say more.

When Emiko finally made it to her house,she went inside,her tears disguised. She was a pretty good actor anyway.

The house was built near the ocean and it was built by her parents' combined magic. Emiko sighed again and called out,"I'm home."

There was no answer. Of course there wasn't. Her parents were at the spirit world again,doing duties for others. Emiko frowned and she went into the kitchen. There was a note on the table. She picked it up and read,"Hi,honey! How's school? There is nothing in the fridge,sorry. You will have to go buy take-out food. Love,Chiyo."

Emiko scowled and answered mentally to the note,"School is just perfect and I don't want to eat your luxurious food anyway." Emiko sighed. She was too tired today. Well,no time and matter for complaining.

She got her keys and some human money attatched to the back of the note. She quickly looked at of the window and saw some storm cloud reeling in. "Must be having some trouble in the spirir world,huh?"

Emiko quickly ran out of her house/mansion. She ran to the convenience store a few blocks away. After buying a sushi roll and a pop drink,she paid the cashier and ran out. She looked up at the sky and as expected,there was going to be a storm in a few minutes. As if on cue,the sky poured out rain. She thought,"Just my luck."

Grabbing her dinner,she ran for a few blocks. It soon started raining so hard that Emiko could barely see what was in front of her. She was also starting to get... _dizzy__?_

She shook her head and instead thought,"Father or Mother must be arguing or that is just some spirit doing this." (Notice that she did not say mommy or daddy).

Emiko growled and found a house roof for shelter. She sat in front of the door,curled up in a ball. She stared at her now cold dinner and after gulping down her drink,Emiko saw the world swirling around her. She clutched her head and her head hit the door. She gasped and heard footsteps coming. The door suddenly opened and Emiko tiredly looked behind her. She heard her name called out and her response was,"Oji?" However,before he could respond,Harumi's head dropped and she was soon engulfed in darkness. She let one tear escape. "Why can't I just escape..."

**This fanfic will mix around the spirit world of Haku and Chihiro as well as Emiko and Oji in the human world. (Emiko has matured quickly in three weeks and she might possibly learn something about love in the human world. Then she will go back to the spirit world and maybe bring Oji along [spoiler...]). Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think.**


	20. Chapter 20

Ch 20:The Sky

Emiko slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. She felt something cool on her head. Emiko took it off and saw that it was a towel.

Emiko looked around more observantly and saw a room with a desk,chair,and closet,just like a normal room.

She sat up quickly when she realized that it was not her room. She blinked and recalled the events before fainting. She stopped thinking though when she heard a familiar voice say,"Good,you are awake."

Emiko looked at the door and saw Oji casually leaning against the door. Emiko did not react and this made Oji smirk. After a few seconds,Oji asked,"You aren't even surprised?" Emiko slowly shook her head,avoiding eye contact. She felt a weight on the side of the bed and knew that it was Oji.

Finding nothing interesting to look at,she looked at her clothes. She saw that is was not her wet uniform. She gasped and she looked at Oji,who said nothing. Emiko finally asked,"Where are my clothes?"

Oji looked at her,grinned, and replied,"Your clothes are in the bathroom drying. Don't worry,nothing happened. My older sister undressed you and she notified me about several injuries. I carried you into my bedroom and if I did anything to you,my sister will kill me."

Emiko smiled a little at his reaction but her smile vanished when he talked about the injuries. She said nothing and felt Oji take her hand. Her eyes widened and she looked at him. Oji smiled and said softly,"I'll help you with your problem." Emiko said nothing and she watched Oji walk out. His last words were,"And remember Emiko,I'm a friend." Emiko smiled sadly at his last words and she lied back down in the bed,drifting into a peaceful sleep.

After a few hours, she opened her eyes to feel better than ever. She turned her head to the side and gasped when she saw Oji lying next to her,with his head propped on his right elbow. She looked at Oji's sleeping face and not wanting to disturb him,she backed away. She got out of the bed and was about to go to the bedroom to get her clothes and leave,but she felt something,or somebody grab her shoulders,pulling her back into lying position in the bed. With a small thud,she was on the bed on her back. She closed her eyes at the impact.

Emiko slowly turned her head around and her eyes met blue ones,blue as the night sky. Oji asked,with his hands holding her shoulders with him on top of her,"And where are you going?"

Meanwhile,in the spirit world...

Chihiro huffed as she finished her last job. She was tired after three weeks of working. Yubaba can give good punishments when she needs to.

Chihiro wiped sweat of her forehead and ran off into freedom. She made sure no one followed her into the garden and finally relaxed,she fell asleep.

A girl with blond hair laughed, swirling thunder clouds around her. She saw Chihiro and advanced toward her. Chihiro backed away but she couldn't move.

She shook herself and she hit something,but nothing was there. She blinked in confusion and opened her eyes. She sighed in relief as she realized that it was only a nightmare.

A voice,"What's wrong?"

Chihiro jumped and sat up. She turned her head and exhaled at the sight of Haku.

"Sorry I came here without permission but that witch gave me weeks of work."

Haku gave a grin and sat beside her on the grass. "What else?"

Chihiro gave him a knowing glance but answered,"Small nightmare." She shrugged.

Her thoughts suddenly slipped to one person and she told Haku,"Hey,how do you think Emiko's doing in the human world? Do you think she changed?" She looked back at Haku and Haku shrugged. He just smiled a little and said,"She might be doing better in the human world than here in the past. We'll see her soon." Chihiro smiled back and nodded in return. After standing in silence,Haku took her hand. He led her to the brink of the spirit world,where they could see the tunnel a little up ahead. Chihiro relaxed and fell asleep. Haku did so too soon after.

When Chihiro woke up again,she looked next to her. She saw Haku asleep on her shoulder. If Chihiro moved,then Haku would've fallen on her lap. Chihiro smiled and looked up at the sky. What she saw made her gasp a little loudly,which caused Haku to blink sleepily at her.

Chihiro made no sound,just looked up at the sky. Haku followed her gaze and he frowned at the sight he set upon. The whole morning sky was now covered in swirling tornado shaped storm clouds,threatening lightning and soon, danger for spirits in the human world. (What he means is that the trees can be struck,which will kill forests and other things and kill spirits)

**Thank you for all the reviews,especially those complimenting this story. Hope this story goes in your favorites. Joking but anyway,thanks. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

Ch 21:Running

Emiko looked in Oji's eyes. She blushed at the awkward position,but she regained her composure and replied,"I'm going home."

She pushed against him but his grip did not loosen his grip on her shoulders. Emiko plainly asked,"Will you let go of me now?" Oji did not reply. Instead,he put one hand on her forehead. He said,"You're still warm. Yoiu should maybe spend one more day at my place."

Emiko was surprised at his sudden proposition, but she looked for an excuse,"What about my parents?" Oji replied,"You can call them to ask permission."

Emiko mumbled,"Fine," and Oji immediately let go of her. While she was walking to the lving room,she felt Oji's eyes watching her. Emiko huffed and ignored it as she walked into the living room towards the phone. She knew Oji was there in the room with her,making sure that she would not sneak sighed at his actions but she quickly dialed the number to her house. While she was waiting for her parents to pick up she was wondering why he was doing this.

She broke out of her thoughts when no one picked up. It was strange because they always came back home before midnight. Right now,it was one in the morning. Emiko frowned,realizing that whatever they were doing in the spirit world was dangerous or disrupting. Emiko's frown was replaced by a blank expression as she jumped when a voice was next to her ear. Oji had asked,"Did anyone pick up?"

Emiko turned to the left side and shook her head no. When she did that,she felt dizzy and swayed a little. She cursed the spirits for being able to have fevers or injuries,like humans. Sure she was immortal but that didn't mean that she couldn't get injured so severely that she couldn't die.

While swaying,she felt arms go under her legs. Oji had picked her up and was carrying her. Emiko suddenly felt her temperature rise,but she wasn't sure if it was because of the fever or it was because she was blushing.

When they arrived in Oji's bedroom once again,Oji set Harumi down gently. Her eyes already felt droopy but before falling asleep,she asked Oji,"Where are you going to sleep?" His only reply was a small smirk and the words,"Don't worry," before Emiko fell asleep again.

The next day,Emiko woke up,instantly feeling better. She rubbed her eyes and looked around her. Oji wasn't in the room. Feeling a little worried and curious, she got off the bed and went into the kitchen.

She saw Oji wearing an apron and cooking breakfast. An older woman was sitting at the table,reading a newspaper. Emiko turned around to stifle her giggles at Oji wearing an apron,but Oji must've heard them because he looked out the doorway and saw Emiko. He didn't blush but just said,"How are you feeling? Wait,tell me at the table. And told you,you look better when you smile."

Emiko smiled again and replied,"I feel better,thanks."

When she walked to the table,she met the older woman's eyes. They had the same blue as Oji's. Harumi bowed in respect and that made the woman smile. The woman said,"Hello, my name is Ayame. I see that you are feeling better." She grinned before saying,"My little brother brought you in when he saw you faint. Make sure to make him happy, okay?"

Ayame's last statement made Emiko confused a little but she smiled when a loud,"Oi!" was heard from the kitchen.

Both girls heard his reaction and they broke out into giggles. Emiko sat in front of Ayame,wanting to get to know her better.

She asked,"Where are your parents?" Expecting a little smile,she got a grimace. Emiko looked confused,but Ayame just said,"Well,we don't exactly have parents."

Before Emiko could say anything else,Oji entered the living room,with three plates. A few minutes later,the three finished their food. Emiko teased him a little by saying,"I did not know that a prince can cook so well." She looked to Oji and saw his blank expression falter a little. He made a comeback by replying,"First of all,I am not a prince." He then smirked before saying,"And second,I expect a girl named smiling child to actually _smile_." Emiko glared at him and said with sarcasm,"Thank you for the food."

After her thanks,she abruptly stood up. She headed to the bathroom and got her now dry clothes. She headed towards the door,but she stopped and headed towards the phone. She called her parents again,ignoring Ayame's and Oji's stares.

Once again,she heard no response. Emiko got a little worried and she quickly walked to the door. Before slamming the door closed,she bowed to Oji and Ayame,her pink hair whipping with her. She quickly closed the door ,and she did not see Ayame motion for Oji to follow her. Oji rolled his eyes a little when she did so,but he saw her glare and he ran after Emiko.

When Oji got outside,he saw Emiko running. He thought with a chuckle,"She's like a squirrel,already two blocks ahead of me in a few seconds." He sighed and sprinted after her,thankful that he was first in the track team. In a matter of seconds,he caught up with her,not even breathing that hard or breaking a sweat.

On the other hand,Emiko was puffing a little. She frowned when she saw him beside her. She asked,"Why are you following me?" Oji just shrugged and replied,"You looked worried when you slammed the door on us without telling us anything." Emiko blushed at his statement and mumbled,"Sorry." Then she said nothing else and kept running until she reached her house,one block over.

While she was running,Oji was always ahead of her,waving to her to catch up. This made Emiko angry and she ran faster. Her reactions made Oji laugh the whole way there.

By the time Emiko and Oji reached her mansion,Harumi was breathing hard because of sprinting,with Oji doing the same,but his breath was mostly wasted on laughing. When Emiko finally caught her breath,Oji was still laughing. Emiko playfully slapped him.

She asked,"What's so funny? You've been laughing the whole time we ran here." Oji stopped laughing and smiled mysteriously. He put a finger to his lips and said,"It's a secret."

Emiko sighed at his response and she walked ahead of him. She used her keys to open the gate and when she walked into the house,no one was home. She heard Oji say a low,"Wow," but she ignored it,hoping that he would not judge based on her background.

Emiko let Oji explore while she searched the house in sign of her parents. There was no one.

Emiko frowned,realizing that this was the first time this has ever happened. This was the longest time her parents have been out. She heaved a loud sigh,which caused Oji to walk up the stairs to her.

Oji asked,"What's wrong?" Emiko shook her head, and she answered,"My parents have never been out longer than midnight." Oji nodded in understanding and he reassured her by saying,"Let's go find them then." Emiko said,"It's okay. They're lawyers so it's normal for them to be out of the state or something." Oji nodded again and he then said,"I'll go with you. Where are they located?"

Emiko was surprised when he said that he will go with her,but she shook her head and said back to him,"You can't come." Oji did not appear hurt and he asked,"Why not?"

Emiko turned away and she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear,"I can't tell you that." Oji smirked and he leaned in close to her ear. He asked one last question that sent Emiko into mental panic,"Is it because they're in the spirit world?"

In the spirit world,Haku and Chihiro are having problems a little similar to this.

Haku was suddenly full awake. He stood up quickly,which made Chihiro jump and look up at him. Haku said nothing and instead,changed into dragon form. He looked at Chihiro and shook his head for her to get on. Chihiro looked puzzled,but she walked to him. Getting on,Haku quickly took off into the sky. Chihiro gasped loudly because she almost fell off,since she wasn't even in the correct position. She glared a little at Haku,but he did not notice. Chihiro kept glaring until a few minutes passed. She got impatient,and she exhaled loudly in exasperation. She asked loudly,"Where are we going? You just took off without saying anything!"

Haku made no response and this ticked Chihiro off. She let go of one horn,and she bonked his head to get his attention. He growled a little,but he kept flying. Chihiro finally lost her patience. She yelled,"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi!" When she said this,Haku growled loudly,and he put on a huge burst of speed. Chihiro shrieked a little and she held on tightly. Tears came out of her eyes because of the wind rushing past. She closed her eyes and waited for the roller coaster ride to end. Haku then slowed down and Chihiro took this oppurtunity to open her eyes. She saw Zeniba's cottage.

She blinked and she slowly got off. She immediately dropped to the ground on her knees,with her hands on the ground to steady herself. She looked up and saw that Haku has changed back to human form. He was rubbing his head a little. He turned his head,and he stared at her blankly and a little coldly,which made Chihiro flinch a little. She closed her eyes to hide her hurt. She felt a gentle tug on her arm,and she opened her eyes. Haku pulled Chihiro up to her feet and then he led her into Zeniba's place.

When they entered,Chihiro broke away from Haku's grip. Zeniba looked up, and she smiled a little. However,instead of the usual greeting Chihiro gave her,all Zeniba got was a silent bow. Chihiro then walked slowly to the spare bedroom,leaving Haku,Zeniba,and No-Face in the living room.

When Zeniba heard the door close,she frowned. She asked,"Haku, did something happen between you two?" Haku shook his head. Zeniba opened her mouth again,but Haku interrupted (and changed the subject) by saying,"There is something wrong in the spirit world. It is rare for the skies to appear like this." Zeniba frowned as she sensed that he was avoiding the question. However,knowing that she would find out later,she agreed with Haku's statement by saying,"Yes,there does seem to be an arguement somewhere. It might be possible that Chiyo and Hideo are included,since they are spirits controlling the oceans. They might be arguing with each other or some other spirit. Whatever the problem is,it can't be good,since they are pretty good at controlling their anger."

Haku nodded and asked,"How do we fix it? I sensed some acid in the storm clouds. It is not like Chiyo and Hideo to do that." Zeniba frowned and replied,"The acid,which will sting the skin,pollute water,and destroy some trees might endanger many. " Haku's nodded grimly as he said,"Then both the human and spirit world are in danger." Zeniba sullenly nodded and Haku frowned,finally showing some expression. He started to think,but Zeniba clapped her hands,which made Haku look up at her. She cackled at his blank expression,but she said,"Now tell me what happened between you and my granddaughter."

Haku said nothing,just stared. Zeniba stared at him too,waiting for an answer. It seemed that Zeniba was winning because No-Face joined in too,while eating some cake. Zeniba smirked when Haku frowned at them.

He finally sighed and said,"It's just a little fight." Zeniba stopped smirking and she said,"Go on. Don't run away."

Haku walked over to the kitchen table and he sat into a chair. He continued,"I saw storm clouds overhead when I heard Chihiro gasp. The sky worried me and the only person I could think reliable enough was you. Therefore,I changed into a dragon and told her to get on. She was not fully on yet when I charged into the sky. She must have been angry because she then shouted at me. I said nothing,and she slapped my head. I then growled a little ,but I still said nothing. The next words she said told me that she has lost her patience. She called my full and real name. I wanted her to stop yelling,so I flew at full speed,which made her almost fall off. When we got to the front of your house,she fell on her knees. I helped her up,but she said nothing. She went into your cottage,and she brushed off my hand. I think she was bothered because she did not embrace you. Instead,she bowed respectfully. And here we are now."

He looked up at Zeniba,who was now siting right across from him. He saw that Zeniba's face was blank. He waited for a response and when he got one,it surprised him. Zeniba started laughing. Haku frowned a little ,and he waited for her to calm down.

After a few minutes,she did. Zeniba wiped her eyes and asked,"So you came here to ask for help? And you hurt Chihiro over a little thing?" Haku nodded and Zeniba smirked. She said," You could've took your time. Girls have feelings too. They don't understand everything." She smiled and continued,"Go on." Haku smiled a little in reply and he got up from his chair. He walked towards the door,but Zeniba's next words made him turn pink. "Oh and Haku,great story."

Haku knocked on the door and got no answer. He pushed open the door and it was surprisingly unlocked. He walked in slowly and he saw Chihiro lying on the bed,asleep. He thought,"She must've been tired from getting a few hours of sleep,including the frightening ride on my back." He smiled a little and brushed two fingers over her bangs. She stirred a little,but she relaxed and fell back asleep. Haku slowly leaned in,and he kissed her head. He then silently left,closing the door behind him.

When he went into the kitchen,Zeniba looked up from reading her newspaper. Haku nodded at her and said,"I'm going out for a while." Zeniba just nodded in reply,and Haku bowed before leaving. Outside,he turned into a dragon. He thought,"If Zeniba can't provide me with all the answers,I guess I can go ask Yubaba,or hope that Hideo-san and Chiyo-san will soon return."


	22. Chapter 22

Ch 22:Revealed

What Oji said sent chills behind Harumi's back. Wide-eyed,she turned to him and asked something but no words came out. Oji's mouth curled up a little,hinting a smirk,but then it disappeared as fast as it appeared. He stopped leaning on the wall and uncrossed his arms.

"Well,let's go."

She didn't trust herself to speak so she just nodded and walked out the door. Oji followed silently.

While Emiko was locking the gate,her mind was spinning. She had many questions such as,"What kind of spirit is he? Is he just helping me to pity me? Is he even really my friend? Is he going to betray me like the others or is he just my friend?" Questions whirled and she held the gate to steady herself.

Oji suddenly put a hand on her shoulder,but she shook it off,not sure if she wanted his comfort or not.

Now that Oji knew that she was a spirit,she didn't need to hide her identity from him anymore. She stole a glance behind her and saw that Oji's eyes were a little dull. He was maybe thinking about something,but Harumi didn't know what. She wanted to cheer him up,so she used actual powers and she ran full speed ahead.

She looked behind her shoulder and saw Oji's head snap up in surprise. Oji smirked a litle, and he ran to catch up to her. Emiko smirked back and she practically flew to the tunnel of the spirit world. When she arrived at the entrance,her hands were on her knees and she was breathing a litle hard. She heard a few chuckles and her head snapped up, her flowing hair whirling with her. She saw Oji,leaning against the tunnel wall. "He liked to lean a lot. Must be nice for him,"Emiko thought.

She then started catching her breath, so she didn't seeOji slowly walk over,put his mouth close to her ear and whisper,"I win."

Emiko tried not to blush as she walked past him. She heard Oji's footsteps following her,but she ignored it and kept walking. After she reached the end of the tunnel,she frowned when she saw that it was dark. She looked up and gasped. Instead of a blue sky,the spirit world was dark and stormy,unlike the slightly tranquil human world.

She glanced to her side and saw Oji. His face was blank,which made Emiko wonder what he was thinking of. Her attention snapped back to the sky when it started to rain. She let out her hand and a few drops plopped on her hand. Harumi shrieked a little and she drew her hand close to her. It stung very badly and it felt like it was burnng. She examined her hand and her prediction was correct; it was acid rain. Great. Her skin might come off if it was damaged even more.

Emiko ran back into the tunnel for shelter. Oji followed and went over beside her. Emiko sighed a little and she sat on the ground. Oji sat next to her, and he extended a hand. He said,"Let me see."

Not trusting him yet,Emiko said and did nothing. She looked towards the end of the tunnel at the sky, ignoring Oji's words. She actually heard him growl, and she yelped a little when he grabbed her arm roughly while pushing her against the wall so she wouldn't struggle. She sadly frowned but said nothing.

Oji's eyes flickered from her face to her hand,pretending that he didn't see anything. As he put his hand over hers,a few seconds passed and it was soon better.

When Emiko sighed and moved her hand from his grasp,he smirked unknowingly and purposely fell so that his head was on her lap.

Emiko's hands moved frantically around her, and she finally calmed herself down. She took a few breaths and her hands finally landed on Oji's head. It looked like he was worried over something or just tired. Well,he did take care of her and run all this way without breaking a sweat.

She smiled and said out loud,"I guess I can trust you." She didn't see Oji smile as he continued to feign sleep.

After a few minutes of staring at the sleeping Oji,Emiko soon grew uncomfortable. She started to doze up but shrieked when a clash of thunder was heard overhead.

She was calming herself until her lap started vibrating. Oji was _laughing._

Emiko was confused. "How long have you been awake? What's so funny?"

Oji was still smiling as he turned on his back so that he could see her face. "I was awake all this time. I was laughing because you're scared of thunder."

Emiko puffed out her cheeks. "What's the problem?" Then she crossed her arms and looked the other way,her face still rather puffy because of her being stubborn.

Oji laughed again because of her antics. He clutched his stomach as his eyes closed.

Emiko broke the laughter by asked,"So how did you know that my parents were spirits? That I'm a spirit? And what about you?"

Oji stopped laughing. He looked at the end of the tunnel. He shrugged. "Well,it didn't stop raining yet so I guess I'll explain here."

In the spirit world...

Chihiro woke up and looked around her. She remembered that Haku had taken her (by force) to Zeniba's cottage. Chihiro yawned a little ,and she stretched. She finally got out of the bed and then she entered the living room. No-Face was knitting,along with Zeniba. Chihiro smiled and said,"Hi Granny." Zeniba and No-Face looked up ,and Zeniba smiled. She said,"Now that's a better greeting." Chihiro grinned and she walked over to give Zeniba a hug. She then asked,"Where's Haku?"

What she asked made Zeniba chuckle. Zeniba replied,"So now you are concerned for him,not angry at all?" Chihiro shook her head a little and blushed,but she repeated her question,"So where is he?" Zeniba shrugged and she answered,"He said that he went out." Chihiro just replied,"Oh," and she went back to the bedroom. She did not see Zeniba and No-Face look at each other with a bit of a worried expression.

Meanwhile,in the bedroom, Chihiro was looking out the window. The storm clouds were still swirling,and Chihiro was worried about flying in that weather. She opened the window and took a breath of air. She coughed when she smelled the air. It reeked of acid. Chihiro coughed and covered her mouth. She quickly closed the window and saw that some acid smoke clouds were forming condensation on them. She backed away from the window and she ran back to the living room.

When she arrived in the living room (again) she quickly asked frantically ,"Why are there acid clouds outside? What's going on?" Zeniba frowned and she said,"Calm down,dear,it'll be alright. There is just an argument going on. Haku must be going out to try and solve this."

Chihiro nodded slowly, and she went to sit on the stool in the corner. She hugged her knees to herself and after an hour,there was a knock on the door. Chihiro abruptly woke up,and she looked up from her curled position. Zeniba had went to answer the door with no expression. When she opened the door,her eyes widened,and Chihiro quickly walked to the door. However,she did not see the guest until Zeniba closed the door. The guest was Haku. Chihiro gasped when she saw him.

When Haku entered,he was clutching one injured arm. There were some scars on his arms and on his face. His green eyes were full of pain and worry. He was about to say something,but it came out in breaths,and neither Zeniba nor Chihiro heard him.

Chihiro did not ask him to repeat. Instead,she hugged him tightly,with some tears flowing from her eyes. Haku used one arm to hug her back,but he maybe used up too much strength because then,he was leaning on Chihiro's shoulder, barely conscious.

Chihiro quickly shouted,"Haku!" She shook her head and with the help of Zeniba,they took them to the bedroom.

First,Chihiro stopped the bleeding by healing some wounds. Then,Zeniba and Chihiro carried him onto the bed. She asked Zeniba,"What happened?" Zeniba shrugged a little,but replied,"Must have been from the lightning and acid clouds. They affect dragons like Haku negatively since he controls rivers and such."

Chihiro asked,"Can you explain how?"

Zeniba nodded. "Well,you see,since Haku is a spirit of a river,if lightning strikes the water,beings can get electrocuted. And if water vapor gets mixed with acid,it turns into precipitation and mixes with the rivers again. It affects health"

Chihiro made a face of recognition but then asked,"Why did he go out though?" Zeniba smiled at her question and answered,"He was worried about the human and spirit world,as well as you. You will be most affected by this because you are a halfling,remember? This type of thing could injure you fatally. That's why Haku was in such a hurry to get here,as well as find a solution. After all,you can die much faster than gods or full spirits."

Instead of being scared of the death talk,Chihiro smiled a little and looked at the sleeping boy. She told him,"Thank you." This made Zeniba grin. However,after Chihiro's words,there was a loud explosion outside in the sky. This caused Haku to wake and when he did,he inhaled before saying in a small voice,"I know why the spirit world is like this."

**Some parts later on will have more _fluff?_ because my friend suggested some between the two couples present...please review. Thank you to those who are in the favorites and followers. The numbers have been going down lately... ha... not a really good writer I guess?**


	23. Chapter 23

Ch 23:Misunderstood Pasts

Emiko stared into his eyes and nodded for him to continue.

Oji smirked before saying,"It was obvious because rarely anyone has pink hair and an aura like you."

Emiko pursed her lips. "Then what are you?"

Oji smiled. "Well,that's a secret."

Emiko frowned. "That's not fair." Oji grinned as he poked her forehead. "Maybe I can tell you if you give me something back."

Emiko looked up with wonder. "Like?"

Oji had a mischievous glint in his eyes. "A kiss,maybe?" Emiko's jaw dropped but when Oji started laughing,Emiko blushed,realizing that she was only getting teased.

Emiko was about to say something ,but they were interrupted when thunder roared overhead. Emiko flinched and Oji smirked a little. He took this opportunity to carry her in his arms.

Emiko shouted,"What are you doing?" Oji just smiled and calmly answered,"I'm going to take us somewhere better than this tunnel. You should know that the portal will close soon,and we won't be able to get out. So stop complaining. And if you kick or thrash,I am going to drop you or sexually harass you. Which do you prefer?"

This made Emiko's mouth shut. She folded her arms together and let Oji run through the rain. She felt him flinch many times because of the acid,but he kept going. He ran across the bridge and Emiko realized that they arrived at the bathhouse.

Emiko was about to say that they did not have money,but what Oji did next was astonishing:he flew. Emiko gasped a little as he landed with his legs slightly bent in front of the boiler room. Oji gently put Emiko down,and they entered the boiler room.

She knew that she was not welcome,for neither Rin nor Kamajii forgave her for hurting Chihiro. Emiko mentally sighed. She was freezing,but she was too busy thinking to care.

While they were walking to the boiler room, Emiko was too busy remembering that she ordered the yunas to hurt Chihiro. She slapped herself and Oji stiffened at the sound, but he kept walking. Emiko kept thinking of what she did because of some feeling called love and jealousy. She kept trying not to slapp herself until she and Oji reached the boiler room,which only took a few seconds. And Emiko was too busy spacing out that she bumped into Oji's back when he stopped.

She stood by the doorway while Oji walked into the room. He walked over to Kamajii,who was obviously preparing herbs. Oji tapped his shoulder,and Kamajii turned around. When he did,his eyebrows shot up. He exclaimed,"You again!" He rubbed his beard,and then snapped his fingers. Emiko watched in silent amusement as Kamajii tried to remember him. "Oh! You came here five years ago."

Oji smiled and shook hands with Kamajii,who finally remembered and made a comment about old people.

Emiko stood next to the doorway quietly,closing her eyes and wanting to disappear. She heard Oji ask,"Can my friend stay here,too?" Kamajii replied,"I guess so." Emiko stiffened at his answer,but Oji called her over,"Come on."

Emiko inwardly sighed and she walked in. She slowly opened her eyes as she bowed respectfully to Kamajii. She then stood with her back straight to see Kamajii's surprised expression. Kamajii shouted," Hideo's and Chiyo's daughter?!"

Emiko nodded in response. She looked down to the floor and saw that the sootballs were ignoring her. Feeling hurt and misunderstood,she just held back some tears and thought,"I'm different now. I am not useless or immature anymore!"

She kept her glance downcast,but she flinched when she heard a trapdoor slam. She could tell that it was Rin because Kamajii said,"Finally! Dinner!" He clanged the wheel with a stick and then,the sootballs were crowded in a group,with some sootballs holding star candy.

A few seconds later she heard Rin shout,"It's you again!" Emiko just kept nodding,not sure if Rin was talking to her or someone else. Kamajii said,"Yes,it's her again,maybe from a few weeks ago. Well,anyway Rin,this is Oji, spirit of-" He broke off as Oji put a finger to (his own) lips. Then Oji shook Rin's hand.

Emiko sensed Rin shrug,but soon, Rin was saying," Oji or whatever can stay,but that girl doesn't belong here. She can maybe cause trouble like last time." Emiko heard this nodded to her statement. She bowed to Kamajii and Rin before whispering,"Thank you for your trouble."

Then,she quickly turned her heel and ran out of the boiler room. She heard Oji call her,but she ignored him. Actually,she thought quietly,"Oh,now you talk? What for?"

Emiko kept running until she was far away from the bathhouse. She let tears mix with the stinging acid rain on her face.

Emiko headed quickly towards the garden,hoping to be alone. Not wanting to see or talk to anyone,she headed towards an empty pig pen,surrounded by nothing. She giggled a little bitterly thinkng,"Poor spirits and humans;they have all been eaten."

Then,Emiko curled herself into a ball,where she lay on some hay,falling asleep despite her bleeding wounds,and her face,with tears flowing slowly down. The only thing that shielded her from getting more injured (mentally and physically) was the roof ahead,and her pink hair, like a cocoon surrounding her.

Somewhere else in the same world...

Chihiro sighed a little in relief when Haku awoke,but she then said seriously,"Go on." Haku smiled a little but he coughed and continued,"Some spirit other than Hideo and Chiyo are creating this storm. This spirit is pretty young,about the same age as us,but has a lot of power,about the same as Emiko's parents. The spirit is angry and is going on a rampage over something I do not know. That is all the information I know." He coughed again after he stopped talking. Chihiro took a step forward,but Zeniba walked past her and put a healing spell on Haku,which caused him to fall back asleep. Zeniba said to Chihiro,"I am taking out the foul air he breathed in. This should stop him from coughing."

Chihiro bowed and she pulled a chair next to him. After a few minutes of watching him sleep,Chihiro yawned and fell asleep as well.

Back to the garden...

An hour passed and Emiko woke up because of a clash of thunder overhead. Emiko gasped,but in effect,she breathed in some foul air,which caused her to have a fit of coughing.

Meanwhile Oji was looking for her for an hour. He searched everywhere except the garden. He heard coughing and decided to see who was it coming from. He saw Emiko hunched over,coughing and crying some tears. He ran over and put an arm around her shoulder. Emiko's head looked up to see Oji,but instead of gratitude,she flinched away.

Oji winced at her sudden act of hurt,but he ignored it because of the cuts on Harumi's face. Oji could tell that she wasn't just crying because of lack of air;it was something else. Oji decided to ask later,hoping that Emiko would open up to him.

Oji quickly took a hankerchief from his jacket pocket. He used power to put water on it and he smiled a little at Emiko,for this hinted at what type of spirit he was.

He silently asked,"Are you hurt because Rin and Kamajii did not allow you to stay there?" Emiko frowned but made mo reply nor movement. Oji frowned in return and asked another question,"Was it because of what you did to them,Chihiro,and Kohaku in the past?"

At this question,Emiko stiffened,and Oji smirked because he could tell that that answer was taken as a yes. He decided to pester her with questions until she spoke. When she started to move away,he grabbed her waist and caged her under him to prevent her from running away.

He asked all at once,"Was it because you were jealous of Kohaku's and the human Chihiro's love? Were you too weak that you had to depend on a bunch of yunas? Did you have to go to the humans to learn from them? Were you that dumb to be pushed around by Akira,the queen of the school?"

After each question,Emiko's shoulders got more and more tense. When Oji finally shut his mouth, Emiko quickly brought brought out a hand to slap him. Oji expected this and he grabbed her hand before it was even close to his face. He kissed it before putting on a straight face and saying,"If there is anything bothering you,you should talk to me."

She put her hands on her face as she started to cry but suddenly felt a pull and soon,she was in Oji's arms. She heard him say,"It's alright. You can lean on me." This only made Emiko's tears flow faster. When her sobs turned into whimpers,she felt Oji's hand pat her head.

He whispered in her ear,"I have something to tell you." Emiko gently pushed away from him,but replied,"What is it?" Oji smiled and said,"I l-," but he was interrupted by an ear-piercing clap of thunder. Emiko shrieked a little and she looked up at the sky. Her face was horrified at what she saw in the sky. Oji followed her gaze,and his eyes widened as well. He looked at Emiko and heard her whisper,"Akira."

**This was a shortish chapter but I hope you liked it? Please review?**


	24. Chapter 24

Ch 24:Attack and Defeat

Chihiro woke up through hearing a loud clap of thunder. Chihiro's head snapped up,and she went over to the other side of the bed,making sure not to disturb Haku. She looked out the window,but saw nothing because of the acid clouds.

Using some of her magic,she splashed some water on the window to clear away the condensation. She could finally see through the window and she looked outside at the sky. She blinked when she thought that she saw a figure in the sky ad surprisingly,it did not go away. She made her eyes' perception clearer to see better like an eagle's.

It looked like a girl,around her age. The spirit had her arms in the air performing something Chihiro did not know of.

Her prediction was correct. Chihiro saw the girl look to the side,the direction where the bathhouse was. She heard a screech,like a dying parrot. Then,the figure disappeared and bigger clouds left a path as it went on in a different direction.

Chihiro rubbed her eyes and then sighed,wondering if the figure was really going to the bathhouse.

Chihiro sat on the side of the bed,and used a new spell that Zeniba taught her to track the figure. Surprisingly,her status as a half river spirit gave her more powers like foresight and future visions.

So far,she knew that the girl was fifteen, the same age as Chihiro. The girl was a full spirit by birth but had just recently came from the human world,possibly from a visit.

Chihiro also connected with the girl's genetics and found out that she was blond,a spirit that controlled storms,and also had the same power status as Emiko. And lastly,when Chihiro found out where she was headed to,her eyebrows furrowed. (her eyes are closed,like having a vision). The girl was heading towards the bathhouse,going there to kill another spirit.

Chihiro stopped having visions. Her eyes cleared again as she focused on her present surroundings. After her small sigh,she leaned backward,forgetting that there was a sleeping dragon under her. Chihiro regretted what she did immediately because Haku woke up and growled,still being half awake. He pulled Chihiro's wrist,which made her yelp,and then pinned her to the bed.

Chihiro was surprised at this movement and when Haku blinked a couple of times,Chihiro said,"Sorry?" Haku shook his head and mumbled,"Sorry,still half asleep," before getting off of her. He was then wide awake and asked,"The thunder died down. What's wrong?"

Chihiro quickly replied,"There are plans of a murder. Let's go to the bathhouse immediately."

Haku listened with interest,and his posture became stiff when he heard about killing. He got out of the bed,put his sandals on,and motioned for Chihiro to follow.

Chihiro obliged and when they arrived at the kitchen,they told Zeniba the story,and Zeniba volunteered to go with them.

She said,"This can be an excuse to visit the bathhouse and see how my nephew is doing." She glared before saying,"Don't think that I want to see that sister of mine!"

Chihiro smiled before following Haku,who didn't say anything after their previous chat,out the door. Chihiro waited for Haku to change into a dragon because she couldn't fly that far and fast with this type of distance and weather. She was worried about his health because he controlled water and wind,which was the opposite of pure air and water substances.

Chihiro looked up at the sky and shook her head when the air still smelled foul,comparing to the ugly scene above. Zeniba turned into a bird that looked identical to Yubaba. She used telepathy and said," No-Face will be taking care of the cottage." She looked at Haku before saying,"Mind your health when flying. Do not fly too close to the clouds."

The dragon nodded and was about to tell Chihiro to get on,but Chihiro told Zeniba telepathetically,"I will create a barrier for him. And I assume you will do fine on your own,Granny."

Zeniba smiled and flapped ahead of them. The dragon narrowed his eyes a little and Chihiro could not tell what he was suspecting,but she didn't care. She jumped onto his back with amazing flexibility and formed a bubble around Haku's whole dragon body.

Meanwhile,Haku did not know that Chihiro's spell was a spell of her own invention. Chihiro formed a bubble around Haku to keep the acid air away from him,but Chihiro would have to inhale it instead.

After a few minutes, Chihiro's spell faltered for a short second because Chihiro was starting to have difficulty stifling her coughs. She asked in a sharp voice for Haku to fly faster,to catch up to Zeniba who was a few feet ahead. Haku,sensing her urgency,did so and Chihiro regretted asking because the rush of acid air brought Chihiro into a state of nausea.

When the dragon finally caught up to Zeniba,they could all see the bathhouse. They also saw a swirling cloud near the garden. Chihiro scowled when she saw this because the garden was her most favorite place near the bathhouse,besides Zeniba's cottage and the lady's dorms. Chihiro silently created a cloud out of pure air,which caused some energy to be used,and Chihiro got off Haku,who was still flying.

Haku growled when Chihiro jumped off and landed on a cloud before touching a flower bush,which Chihiro disappeared into.

Haku followed her ,but Zeniba just chuckled before flying towards Yubaba's office,located at the top floor.

Chihiro broke away from the flower bush and ran towards the pig pens. Her lungs hurt,but she looked up and the sight she was set upon surprised her. There were three spirits. One was the blonde from her nightmares,the second was a boy around Haku's age. He had his arms around the third spirit,Emiko, who was staring at the blonde with a horrified and hateful expression.

Meanwhile, Haku caught up to Chihiro by sprinting. However,all Chihiro was thinking about didn't show because the blonde spirit started to wrap her hands around Emiko's neck.

Chihiro gasped and ran forward,forming acid rain into the shape of a spear.

Chihiro grasped the air around the spear and shot it at the girl's shoulder.

Emiko was grateful when she saw Chihiro helping her. When Akira faltered from the touch of the acid,Emiko quickly broke away from Oji's embrace and did a back flip. She kicked Akira in the stomach,which sent her flying out of the pig pen.

Akira screeched in rage and a boom of thunder was heard overhead. Akira's hair turned golden and soon,her bangs turned into the shape of lightning bolts. Emiko braced herself,waiting for her to throw one at her. However, instead, Akira threw one at Chihiro. Chihiro was caught off guard, and that caused her to drop the spear. She dodged out of the way in time,but the bolt pierced her shoulder,which caused her to cry out. She fell down,paralyzed. Her lungs hurt more than ever,but she was strong,so she stayed conscious. All she could do was watch Haku come run to her,while Emiko and that boy fought that blond spirit alone.

Meanwhile,Emiko had witnessed the whole thing. She sent a message into Oji's head. Oji was standing there the whole time,not sure what was going on. He was frozen with shock when he saw Emiko being strangled,but he snapped out of his trance when Emiko's telepathy echoed inside his head,"Distract her with some questions. I'll create a spell to contact my parents,and another spell to find her motive. Work with me,alright?"

Oji turned his head to meet Emiko's gaze. He smirked her,which she nodded in return. Oji walked out of the pigpen,not caring if he would get electrocuted or not.

Oji walked towards Akira,whose eyes brightened when he stood in front of her. Emiko arched an eyebrow at her reaction,but she started contacting her parents by sending a pink glow into the sky.

When Emiko was finished with the spell,she heard Oji ask her,"What are you doing here? Are you a spirit also? Why did you bully Emiko and hurt Chihiro as well?"

Emiko frowned and started getting annoyed at his questions because they were asked constantly and some were a little personal,but they could make anyone feel weak.

Her expression turned blank when Akira answered,"I was here to make a deal with some spirits. Yes,I am a spirit,but who cares?" She grinned evilly when she answered,"I hurt Emiko so she would get away from you. And that half human,half spirit? She just got in the way and I wanted to teach her a lesson because I always get my way."

Haku,who was tending to Chihiro's wounds silently,heard this and his expression turned cold. He stood up and walked slowly towards Akira. While walking,he said,"My apologies but you won't be getting your way tonight."

Oji nodded in respect as he approached and Emiko started to walk towards him. Haku stiffened,waiting for Emiko to hug him,but surprisingly,she bowed. She then stood straight and ignored Haku's questioning stares. She said,"I apologize for the past mistakes of mine. It was of being a stupid fan girl. Therefore,stop looking like an idiot." She hid a smile as Haku smirked a little.

Emiko turned looked to Oji and sent another message,"Let's fire together." Oji nodded and Emiko created a ball of freezing water. She sent it flying toward Akira ,and Oji made the ball fly faster. Akira did not expect this ,and she got hit. Since water was the opposite of lightning,Akira got shocked with her own power.

Haku,who was watching this,got amused and followed their plan. He did the same as them,but he handled it alone. He fired wind and water at Akira,and the same thing occured.

Chihiro was watching the whole fight,and she felt useless. She tried to stand up,but the pain was overwhelming. She heard footsteps,and she turned her head toward the main flower bushes . She smiled when she saw Zeniba,Yubaba,Rin,and Kamajii,along with ... Hideo and Chiyo?

Chihiro blinked when she saw Hideo and Chiyo. She stared at them as they walked towards Emiko and the others. Haku's reaction was the same as Chihiro's ,but he had a few seconds to bow.

Emiko's face was emotionless when she saw her parents. It stayed that way even when Chiyo hugged her. Chihiro frowned because she saw that Emiko has changed ... a lot actually.

Chihiro stopped staring when she was crushed into a hug. She turned her head and saw Rin. Chihiro smiled weakly and gently pushed Rin away to prevent her from losing even more air.

Rin finally got away from her and let Kamajii walk over. Kamajii arched an eyebrow when he saw that Chihiro was just sitting there. Chihiro held out her shoulder and Kamjii nodded to tell her that he finish healing the wounds with his many arms. Chihiro silently thanked him and continued watching the fight as Kamajii started taking out herbs and medicines.

So far,Emiko's parents were just standing there and glaring at Akira. Emiko looked at Oji with a puzzled expression,but Oji's face was blank. Haku was just calmly telling Zeniba and Yubaba what had happened so far. Thier faces showed no emotion, but it looked like they knew something.

Chihiro stopped staring at them when Rin stood up and walked towards the others. Akira made an explosion occur in the sky,which caused the group to jump,and for Rin to shout,"What is going on?"

Everyone looked at Rin,including Akira. Hideo turned his head and said,"This spirit named Akira has illegally went into the human world,insulted our daughter,and has asked that Emiko stay away from some spirit. We had a quarrel with her and demanded an apology. We even gave her a chance to fix this mess,but she wanted something from us that we do not know."

After Hideo finished speaking,all attention was averted to Akira. Akira scowled and she said,"I don't want anything from you two. I want something from your pathetic daughter."

Chihiro heard Chiyo gasp at the insult towards Emiko,but Emiko gently pushed away from Chiyo's hug as she asked,"What do you want?" Akira glared at her calm expression,but she answered bluntly,"Oji."

Emiko heard this and her lip twitched. She did not say anything but instead,looked at Oji. Oji blinked,but he stepped forward as well. He walked over beside Akira and asked the same thing as Emiko. Akira smiled,filled with pure joy as she said,"I want you to love me."

Emiko stiffened when she heard this,but Oji did not say anything because Yubaba and Zeniba started laughing,together. Haku just stood there,smirking and waiting for Kira's and Chiyo's responses. Surprisingly,they were puzzled,but Haku knew what the two twin witches were laughing at.

Chihiro smiled at the whole event because she realized that this was something Akira might never have. She looked at Kamajii and saw that he was shaking his head.

Chihiro turned her attention back to the group when Oji said,"Sorry,but I already love someone else." In effect,Akira let out some tears. (Wow,what a quick reaction). She was heartbroken and took out a lightning bolt. She aimed it at Emikj,but a flash blinded her eyes,which made her lose her balance,and caused her to stab herself. The spirits were silent when this happened. Even the twin sisters stopped laughing at Akira's stupidity.

Everyone was silent at the death of Akira but Chihiro already suspected this. Evil is always vanquished. Besides,Chihiro knew who that flash of light was made from. It was the golden seal.

Chihiro smiled when she heard a laugh,and she saw that the clouds were fading away to reveal a blue sky. She looked towards the group and saw that Emiko was sighing.

Hideo and Chiyo looked relieved,but they looked at Akira's dead body with pity.

Oji shrugged and looked up at the sky. Yubaba and Zeniba were talking,and actually on good terms.

Rin was doing some kind of dance and slapping Haku on the back,which caused Haku's expression to turn annoyed. Chihiro heard Kamajii chuckle,but she suddenly felt dizzy. She was thinking,"Oh great,another dramatic event."

Chihiro sighed as her head fell to the floor ,and she met darkness. Her last sight was Kamajii gasping,Rin stopping her actions,and everyone's stares turning to her.

**Almost a hundred reviews but so little followers and favorites. This story is _that _boring? Well,thanks to the many who have read and liked this but it's gonna end soon. Thanks again.**


	25. Chapter 25

Ch 25:Morning and Night (Good morning/night people)

Haku saw that Rin was staring at something important enough to stop slapping him. Haku followed her gaze and his eyes widened when he saw Chihiro slumped over on the floor. He rushed over,but Rin ran ahead of him. Rin grabbed Chihiro's shoulders and shook them. Chihiro flinched but did not wake. Haku's face showed no expression but inside,he was afraid.

Zeniba walked past him and Haku just stood there and watched as Zeniba put her hand over Chihiro's chest and murmured some foreign words. Zeniba then stopped and frowned. Rin asked," So what's the problem?"

Zeniba answered," She has breathed in too much toxic air. Considering that she's half,she won't die but she will remain unconscious for a while."

She looked at Haku specifically before saying," The spell was to protect you from getting shocked,stung,and possibly poisoned." She smiled before saying," She did it to save you." Her last words echoed in Haku's head because it brought him back to when Chihiro first came to the sprirt world. Kamajii had said the exact same words.

She finished talking and she looked at their faces.

Haku's face showed a glare,Rin looked devastated,and Kamajii's expression looked extremely worried. Even Yubaba looked worried,probably because Chihiro was her hardest worker.

All attention was averted to Hideo and Chiyo,however, when Hideo shouted," What is the meaning of this? Whose fault is it that Chihiro ended up this way?" Many spirits turned to Haku,but Emiko whistled loudly and said calmly," This was Akira's fault for causing the storm." She stared coldly at her parents and said," It is also partially your fault that you got into an argument with her in the first place. There,case dismissed." She quickly dried herself by absorbing the water and splashing the water on to her parents. She then walked away. Oji frowned and followed her.

Everyone's faces were speechless when the whole event was over. They have never seen Emiko this way before,not even towards her own parents.

They then shrugged when Hideo and Chiyo walked away also,going off to look for their daughter. Soon,all their attention was back to Chihiro. Zeniba clapped her hands and she instructed all of them to go back to the bathhouse. Yubaba frowned at her command and the sisters soon started to argue.

Kamajii sighed and he gathered up his herbs with a worried expression. He thought," No wonder she was just sitting there." He looked at Rin and Haku.

Rin was hugging Chihiro while Haku was just standing there, with no expression, possibly thinking about something. All was interrupted when the twin sisters walked toward them. Yubaba shouted," Bring Sen to the bathhouse." Then, Zeniba said,"Haku,carry her." All nodded and they silently walked back to the bathhouse,even though the blue sky ruined their moods enough already. How ironic.

When they arrived at the bridge,workers gasped at seeing Yubaba's twin sister. The workers then saw Chihiro in Haku's arms. Some yunas frowned at the scene, being jealous, but others were worried at why Chihiro was not moving.

Workers that knew her well enough started asking Yubaba and Zeniba questions of concern. No one said anything. The workers just watched as the group followed Haku to his room. Yubaba then went back to her office,Rin sullenly went back to her work,and Kamajii slowly crawled back to the boiler room. Zeniba followed Haku to his room and left as soon as Haku set Chihiro on his bed.

After a few hours passed,Haku started getting worried. Chihiro did not wake yet. He started to stand,and a loud slam made him jump. Rin and Zeniba came in loudly and asked," How is she?" Haku shook his head sadly ,and Zeniba looked at Chihiro worriedly. Rin started crying a little but they all looked at Chihiro when she started shouting," I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile, Emiko was walking around the perimeter of the bathhouse. She knew that Oji was following her,along with her parents behind him. She stopped in her tracks and she turned her head angrily. "Will you stop following me?" Oji looked at her with a smirk and he answered," I had something to tell you remember? Akira interrupted me." Emiko frowned at his cockiness but she looked behind him and said bluntly," That could wait."

Hideo and Chiyo caught up to them. Hideo asked," What was with those words that you said earlier?" Emiko didn't answer,just fired another question at him,"Why were you two in an argument with Akira? She is the same age as me,after all."

She hid her smirk when she saw Hideo puff smoke out of his nose.

Hideo was about to say something threatening,but Chiyo asked,"What is the matter with you today,sweetie?" Emiko stepped back at her question,but instead of letting out her anger,she said slowly and coldy," What is the matter with _me_, you say? Ha. What I want to ask is what is the matter with you two. First of all,I had a fever for three days and you did not notice because you were too busy with 'work.' Second, I was worried about you two because you were gone for two days. I don't see why I should learn things in the human world when you didn't notice that your own daughter was bullied at her own school,and you did nothing because you did not notice. To answer your question,nothing is wrong with me. It is you two. You did not even notice that Chihiro can possibly be on the verge of death right now. I want to be there for her,so excuse me."

With that,she walked away,leaving Oji standing there,a little stunned at her act. Her parents had their mouths opening and closing like fish. They all watched as Emiko walked away. Hideo was the first to snap out of his trance when he asked," Chihiro can be in danger of dying?" This caused Chiyo to gasp and for Oji to smack his forehead. He followed Emiko but not before quickly turning around and shouting at them,"You two are dense as rocks!" He stuck his tongue out and smirked. Then he continued walking.


	26. Chapter 26

Ch 26:Sleeping Dream

Chihiro shouted,"I'm dreaming,I'm dreaming!" She started hitting her head,and Zeniba,Rin,and Haku rushed over to the bed. Rin shook Chihiro,but she just thrashed even more. Chihiro then calmed down,but she did not open her eyes. Rin started crying and she ran out of the room.

Haku looked at Zeniba and saw that she was worried. She told him,"The lack of consciousness is not that serious,but it has put her in a dream state. I don't know when she will wake up. It depends on the dream." After she stopped talking,all was silent. Haku was staring at Chihiro. His face showed no expression,but Zeniba could see fear and worry in his eyes. Zeniba sighed ,and she patted Haku's shoulder before leaving the room as well. Haku pulled a chair next to the bed. He heard a bell ring,which meant that Yubaba wanted him. He glared at the ringing noise,but he headed to Yubaba's office. He looked at Chihiro one more time before finally closing the door.

Zeniba was in Yubaba's office. She told her,"Chihiro has not awoken yet. She in now in the dream state." Yubaba scowled at the news and she rung the bell to fetch Haku. She said coldly,"I will regret this,but how about we work together to help Chihiro? If that dragon is moping around,he will treat the workers with more coldness than he did before." She shuddered before telling Zeniba,"You should know that yunas already like Haku because of his looks and coldness. More will gather up,workers will start to slack,and I'll run out of business!"

At her last words,Zeniba rolled her eyes and was about to say something insulting,but Haku walked in and said coldly,"You called for me?"

Zeniba turned her head to Haku and Yubaba said,"Ah yes,I called for you because I want to make a plan for Chihiro to wake up." Haku showed no expression,but he nodded,bowed,and walked out like nothing happened.

Yubaba looked at Zeniba before asking,"See what I mean? Hmph! Look at him now." Zeniba sighed and nodded. She replied,"For once,I agree with you."

In Chihiro's dream,she was hugging a bunch of flowers to her chest. She sighed loudly. Then,there was some fast movement,and Chihiro looked around to see herself in an abandoned amusement park. Her parents walked ahead of her,and Chihiro cried,"Wait for me!" She ran up the hill and she saw her dad running towards a food restaurant. When she saw her parents eating the food,she felt oddly sick and she decided to explore. She saw a bridge and went towards it. She leaned against the rail and saw a train. She went to the other side,and hoped to see the train past,but strangely,it didn't. She turned her head and saw a boy with traditional Japanese clothing and dark hair that reached his shoulders. He suddenly said,"You shouldn't be here. Get out of here now!" Chihiro was confused,but she then found herself crying,with no control at all. She shouted,"I'm dreaming,I'm dreaming! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up..." She then was engulfed in darkness,hearing some noises in the darkness. She ran towards them,but she couldn't move. She started turning and sweating in effort. She breathed heavily,and a cold touch went over her arms,which made Chihiro relax. (To those who think that that was Haku,you thought wrong).

Emiko ran around and sensed that Chihiro was near. She thought,"I just have to see her! She understands me and has realized that I changed." She then whispered," Sure, I hated her before,but she's my only friend that realized that I have changed."

With that,she ran faster. She saw a light in a room,and she jumped onto the ledge of the window. She looked inside the window and she smiled a little when she saw Chihiro. Her smile vanished when she saw that Chihiro was thrashing around,along with some sweat forming.

Emiko quickly used her magic to open the window. She crawled in,and she looked behind her to check to see if anyone saw her. She sighed in relief when Oji and her parents were nowhere to be seen. She snapped her head back to Chihiro and she walked closer to her. She shed a few tears when Chihiro did not flinch to her touch,maybe because she did not feel it.

Emiko's hand started getting clammy,so she used magic to cool Chihiro down. She was still thrashing,but when Emiko put some water over her arms,Chihiro sighed and fell back asleep. Harumi smiled and she bowed deeply to Chihiro before escaping out the window. When she was halfway through though,a sudden movement behind her was heard. Emiko looked behind her and surprisingly, Haku was in the room,with a surprised expression. All that came out of Emiko's mouth was a squeak before Haku glared at her and started walking towards her.

Haku advanced towards Emiko,and she got away from the window. She bowed and straightened her back. Haku seemed surprised at her action,but he asked coldly,"What are you doing in here?"

Emiko quickly answered," I wanted to see Chihiro,so I sneaked in here." Before Haku misunderstood,she quickly explained," She was thrashing around and was sweating so I put some water over her arms and she soon relaxed." Haku did not reply at her words. Instead,he said,"Thank you. When she wakes up,I will notify you immediately."

Emiko smiled at his words and bowed once again before flying out of the window,happy that Haku finally trusted her. She started running swiftly,leading to the garden. She gasped when a hand went over her mouth,and Emiko was pulled into a flower bush.

~~~~~~~~~ Haku sighed as he closed the window. He was glad that Emiko helped Chihiro,and he was relieved that she changed as well. He then took off his mask (figuratively) and cracked a smile to himself. He sat on he edge of he bed,watching Chihiro sleep. His eyes widened a little when Chihiro said one word,"Promise?" Haku smiled and he realized that she was dreaming of when she first got here to the spirit world. He closed his eyes and whispered in her ear,"Promise."

Chihiro smiled in her sleep. She then inhaled a little and she sat up. She blinked and rubbed her eyes,and when Haku opened his eyes,he couldn't believe it.

He quickly asked,"C- Chihiro?" Chihiro looked at him sleepily and smiled. She asked,"Where am I? In your room? I remember being in darkness,but then I-" She was enveloped in a tight hug from the back. Chihiro gasped but she turned her head around and asked,"What's wrong?"

Haku didn't answer. He buried his face in Chihiro's back,and Chihiro blushed a little. She asked a bit quietly,"Can you please tell me,Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi?" Haku perked up at hearing his full name and he looked up,but kept his tight grip on her. Chihiro closed her eyes,sighed,and was about to say something,but Haku closed his eyes and pulled her into a kiss.

~~~~Emiko gasped and she tried to look behind her,but it was too dark to see. She growled and kicked him,accidentally in the crutch. She heard a growl and Emiko then flipped him on the ground,which made Emiko fall suddenly and land on top of the person. She blinked and when she looked more closely she found out that the person was Oji. She frowned and asked,"What are you doing here?" Oji smirked and retorted,"Why were you running everywhere and kicking guys in their privates?"

Emiko blushed at his words but whispered,"Sorry." She gasped when Oji grabbed her wrists and flipped her over so that he was on top of her.

"What do you want from me?"

This time,Oji did not smirk as he answered seriously,"I didn't get the chance to talk to you. Now seems like the time." Emiko stared into his eyes and sighed,finally saying,"Fine,but can you get off of me?"

Oji's smirk returned. "Oh? I seem to like this position." Emiko frowned. "And why is that?"

"Akira interrupted me."

Emiko closed her eyes in impatience and she said,"Go on." She heard him inhale and then,he whispered in her ear,"I love you," before leaning down and kissing her. Emiko was caught off guard,but she was then in her own world.

**I wonder if putting another couple in this story was a good idea.**


	27. Chapter 27

Ch 27:Hero (Who else needs one?)

When Haku kissed her,Chihiro blinked but closed her eyes. When they broke away, Chihiro asked,"Can you now tell me what is going on?" Haku answered by burying his face in Chihiro's hair and saying,"I thought I lost you."

Chihiro smiled a little and hugged back."It's not that easy for me to die. Sure,I am half human,but I can't always rely on you. I can be a hero,too."

She heard Haku sigh and as he looked into her eyes,Chihiro cocked her head. He said,"Yes,you are half and immortal,but that does not mean that you can't get killed. I'm immortal and I almost died of Zeniba's gold seal." He stared and Chihiro nodded in understanding.

She then gently pried Haku away from him. She knew that Haku did not tell her everything,and she was willing to find out. She got off the bed ,but Haku brought his arm out to stop her.

He asked,"Where are you going?" Chihiro huffed at his question and answered in annoyance," To ask some questions. Your over protectiveness will not get in the way. I'm sorry but after waking up,I don't expect a lot of fuss for me."

Then,Chihiro stormed out of the room, not hearing what Haku was about to say.

When Chihiro was in the hallway,workers stared at her as if she was an alien and not just a human. Chihiro frowned in confusion and their reactions made her more annoyed. She practically stomped her way over to the elevator and workers in it ran away from her. This left Chihiro's expression cold,like Haku's four years ago when he told her harshly not to talk to her.

Chihiro finally arrived at the fifth floor,where Yubaba's office was located. Chihiro did not knock on her door. Instead,she somewhat slammed it opened,leaving the doorknocker cursing at her in murmurs.

Chihiro arrived at the doorway of Yubaba's office. She slowly walked inside,and was angry when Yubaba did not look up. She asked,"No,you can not have a day off or a raise. Get back to work."

Chihiro replied coldly,"I am here to get some answers." At her tone,Yubaba looked up and glared at her,but when she saw Chihiro,her mouth hung open.

Yubaba stuttered,"H-how are you awake?" Chihiro smirked at her first words but her smirk vanished when she heard about being awake. Was she asleep or something? For how long? Enough to make people worry?

Chihiro walked closer and she asked,"What's wrong? Can you please explain to me?"

Yubaba finally regained her composture and said,"Fine." She commanded,"Sit." Chihiro immediately sat in the chair in front of Yubaba's desk. She waited and Yubaba sensed her anxiety.

Yubaba started,"You performed a spell that caused you to take in the pain. You breathed in too much acid clouds and that caused you to collapse after all that fuss was over about Akira. Anyway,you were asleep for two days and that's enough to make close ones worry." Yubaba then inhaled and sighed,"And here you are now, better than ever."

Chihiro blinked a couple of times when Yubaba finished. She then glared at her and asked,"So all of this fuss was because I surprised everyone through waking up earlier?" Yubaba looked confused and Chihiro continued,"Haku did not say anything and workers were just staring. Probably because they thought a weakling like me was going because she's half human!"

Chihiro left the office in annoyance. She stole a glance behind her and saw that Yubaba was still confused,but she was also surprised at Chihiro's sudden outburst. Howeever,right now,Chihiro did not care.

Chihiro slammed Yubaba's office door open and saw Zeniba. Zeniba looked surprised,an exact copy of Yubaba's expression. Now was not the time to laugh though.

Chihiro walked past Zeniba,ignoring her. She walked down the hallway and when she saw Rin,Chihiro could not believe it when Rin's mouth opened as well. Chihiro growled to herself and she ran out of the bathhouse. Haku was watching all of this and he wanted to chase after her,but the bell rang,telling him that Yubaba need him.

Haku sighed,but his face showed no emotion. He walked to Yubaba's office and asked,"You called for me?" As expected,Zeniba was with Yubaba. He then walked in,wanting to get this over with.  
He asked,"Yes?"

Yubaba turned her head and said,"Haku,you did notice that Chihiro woke up right?"

Haku nodded and he said,"I was the first to see her awake."

Yubaba nodded and Zeniba asked,"Do you know why and how?"

Haku quickly replied,"Her dream was when she first came to the spirit world. She spoke one word and I answered it for her. Then she woke up."

When Haku said this,Zeniba smiled and said,"The power of love."

Yubaba scoffed when she said this. However,she hid a smile and then shooed Haku out of the office. Yubaba said,"I just wanted to know how. You can go get her now and see how she is doing. The last time I saw her,she was mad at you and some workers." Yubaba then shrugged and Haku,hearing what she said,walked quickly out of the office to go and find Chihiro.

Emiko and Oji broke apart after a few seconds. That was her first kiss but she tried to remain calm. She tried to alk but it came out in a whisper,"Wait,so you love me?"

She looked up and saw Oji smirk. He answered,"I thought I demonstrated already." Emiko glared at him and retorted,"You also demonstrated what spirit you are. Water,speed,and annoyance,I assume?"

Oji got off of her and sat cross-legged. He started smirking. "You are correct,ma'am. But should I punish you for that last part?"

Emiko was about to reply but she broke off as Chihiro ran past her. She smirked at Oji. "That could wait." Then she ran through the bushes and after Chihiro. Oji watched,with a smirk still on his face.

Emiko finally caught up to Chihiro. She reached out a hand and grabbed Chihiro's shoulder to stop her. When Chihiro turned around,she was surprised but her expression showed annoyance.

Chihiro was about to ask a question such as "Are you going to make a deal over me as well?". However,she almost fell when Emiko jumped into her arms and cried out,"You're awake!"

Chihiro's jaw dropped but Emiko had broke away from her and smiled. She said,"I'm so glad that you're okay! I got worried when you fainted."

Chihiro smiled when she said this,glad that for once,she did question everything or not tell her anything. Chihiro hugged her back and she told Emiko,"Well,enough about me. I realized that you are totally different now." Emiko looked up and just grinned. They spent the rest of their time talking about how things were going in the human and spirit world. Emiko smiled the whole time and soon,they both became fast friends.

Emiko was soon tired and she told Chihiro,"I gotta leave now. I'm gonna ask Yubaba if I can stay at the bathhouse for a while." Chihiro smiled and she waved goodbye.

As Emiko walked away,Chihiro looked up at the sky. She looked at the moon and she saw a familiar dragon in the sky. She opened her mouth to shout,but she asked why do it when its night time? It might be a waste of time anyway.

Chihiro closed her eyes and her thoughts went back to the first time she came to the spirit world. She skipped all the way to when Haku made a promise to her. She then felt better and when she looked up at the sky,she gasped that the dragon was plummetting down to the ground.

She was annoyed when he did this because she was still annoyed. She shouted out without thinking,"Pull up you idiot!"

She then flinched when the dragon turned into human form and flew at breathtaking speed towards her.

After Haku had exited the office,he huffed and looked around the perimeter of the bathhouse. He thought,"How hard is it to look for a girl?" He blinked when he saw Oji walk towards him. He bowed in hello and Oji did the same. Haku was about to ask Oji a question,but Oji beat him to it by saying,"If you are looking for Chihiro,she's in the garden."

Haku smiled in thanks and relief. He quickly walked back to the bathhouse when he realized that it was night. He went to the balcony and when he jumped off the balcony,he quickly turned into a dragon. He needed the night wind to cool him down. He was exhausted already.

He soon spotted the garden and dropped. He was aware of plummetting to the ground,but the wind comforted him. He was soon interrupted when he heard a voice call out,"Pull up,you idiot!"

Since Haku was tired and in a bad mood,he started to fly towards the voice,wanting to punish the spirit. He quickly turned into human form and stormed towards the spirit. He opened his mouth to say something,but he stopped when he saw Chihiro. He frowned when Chihiro said weakly,"Um, hi?"

Haku stared at her strange reaction,but he said tightly,"I have searched everywhere for you." He grabbed her wrist before saying,"Let's go."

Chihiro got annoyed again and she wreched her arm free. She asked,"Then can you explain to me why you didn't say anything before?"

Her eyebrow furrowed when Haku sighed and replied,"Sorry,but I don't have time for this. Now let's go."

Chihiro held her ground and said,"You have to tell me everything first." She smirked when she saw Haku's usually emotionless face flicker with annoyance.

She then stopped smirking when she also saw exhaustion. She asked him,"Are you alright?" Haku looked at her and said blankly,"I'm fine." Chihiro cocked an eyebrow and asked,"If I kiss you,what's gonna happen?"

Haku blinked at her question,but he smiled. "I'm just tired. I'll see you tomorrow,okay?" He smiled again. "And don't forget,you have been here for a year already. Refresh your memory on what day tomorrow is."

Chihiro then watched as Haku tiredly walked away. She smiled as she followed. Along the way,she was still wondering what day tomorrow was.

Chihiro quickly walked to the lady's dorm and she flopped into her mattress. She was about to fall asleep and think some more but then Rin flopped next to her.

Chihiro opened one eye and saw yunas crowd in,looking exhausted. Rin flopped down next to Chihiro and asked,"Hey,kiddo,what do you have in store tomorrow?"

Chihiro looked up at the ceiling and answered,"I Don't really know." She then looked at Rin and asked,"What about you?"

She saw Rin sigh and answer tiredly,"Work,work, and more work." Then she added with a sly grin,"And a pleasant surprise." After those words,she started tickling Chihiro

Chihiro started giggling but stopped when the other workers shushed her. Rin shrugged and she fell asleep immediately when her head hit the pillow. Chihiro sighed and slept too,wondering what was going to happen tomorrow.

**A hundred and three reviews. Thank you so much! And can anyone explain why accounts are in black while others are in blue and can be clicked on? I want to thank other reviews for their support. To Carly and Summer Rosewood and many I can't remember but still grateful for. :D**


	28. Chapter 28

Ch 28:End;Party (This is the last chapter. Sorry?)

Chihiro woke up and was surprised to see no one around her. Every worker was gone. And she was usually the earliest. What was going on?

Chihiro rubbed her eyes and looked for her uniform. She found human clothes instead. They were soft and comfortable but why did it look like it was made to go to a party? And it was in a dress. Great. Fancy. Well,at least she can still wear the hair tie Zeniba gave her. She never took it off unless she needed to.

She put it on because she didn't want to go to work half-naked. She hoped that Yubaba won't get mad at her but probably not because Granny was here to protect her.

Suddenly,the door opened and Emiko came waltzing in wearing a dress. The designs showed that it was also in the human world. The dress was pink with golden glitter streaks,bringing out Emiko's eyes and hair.

Chihiro asked,"What's going on? Why are you dressed like this? Where's my uniform?

Emiko winked and put a finger to her lips. "It's a surprise." She grabbed Chihiro's hand and pulled her out of the room,ignoring Chihiro's protests.

In a hallway,she met Rin,wearing a uniform but in a different color that made her look prettier.

Rin grinned and said,"You look great,Sen." She smiled. "Or should I call you Chihiro?"

Chihiro grinned. "Either is fine." Then she followed them,wherever they were going.

When they all reached the main hallway, the place was packed. Spirits were in uniforms but more classy. They were all talking.

Chihiro looked around and her face showed recognition as she saw the banner. It read,"Happy 15th birthday,Sen!"

Everyone cheered as firecrackers were popped and Chihiro grinned. Emiko and Rin were cheering the loudest but everyone soon stopped when Yubaba and Zeniba started making entertainment. Rin had to do some work so she waved and said that she'll see them later. Emiko got bored because most of the entertainment was a failure or an argument between the twin witches. Most of the workers laughed at everything,but not Emiko nor Chihiro. Emiko beckoned Chihiro to sneak away. Chihiro grinned as she happily obliged. They ran to the garden,not aware of two spirits following them.

When Chihiro and Emiko ran to the garden,they were laughing and out of breath. They stopped laughing though,when Oji and Haku stepped out. Oji was dressed in black and blue clothing while Haku was in his traditional uniform,but that suited him best.

The guys said nothing as they approached the girls. Haku held out a hand for Chihiro to take and he led her somewhere farther away in the garden.

Emiko took a step to follow but Oji hugged her from behind. "Let's leave them alone,shall we?"

Emiko turned her head and smiled.

Oji unwrapped his arms and smiled back ."I keep mentioning that you look better smiling. It suits your name."

Emiko put a hand on her hip as she smirked. "Should I punish you for that?"

Oji put a finger in the air. "Oh I almost forgot to punish you before for calling me the spirit of annoyance. I'll go first then." Then he took a step forward and kissed her. Emiko smiled in it and thought,"I make a fresh start here. A new beginning."

Meanwhile,Chihiro and Haku stopped at the brink of the spirit world. They had flew there on Haku's back while leaving Oji and Emiko to their privacy.

Chihiro rolled onto the grass and started laughing. "So that's what the surprise was. My birthday! I can't believe I forgot."

Haku smiled and said,"Yeah."

He continued,"You belong here now. Your happiness lies here."

Then,it was Chihiro's turn to smile and nod.

Haku gave her a small box. "Happy birthday."

Chihiro asked him if she could open it and she nodded once. She grinned when it was a jade pendant with a dragon engraved on it. She hugged Haku and he pulled her in for a kiss. Chihiro smiled. "This is where I belong. This is where I can start over and have a new life,a new beginning."

_Fin._


	29. Chapter 29

**Congratulations on completing this story. I give thanks to all the reviews,favorites,followers,and basically,readers. Yes it was her birthday. Good guess :) And that's all I have to say. Hope to hear from you again. **

**Genie2130 :A wish granted for you :)P**


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